News Now Forever: Ashley Graham on Challenging Beauty Standards in DNCE's 'Toothbrush' Video With Joe Jonas: Exclusive

Friday 20 May 2016

Ashley Graham on Challenging Beauty Standards in DNCE's 'Toothbrush' Video With Joe Jonas: Exclusive – Billboard

Joe Jonas and Ashley Graham in the video for “Toothbrush” by DNCE.

“So often we see the typical ‘video girl,’ who’s definitely not a size 14/16. It doesn’t accurately portray what our world looks like.”

DNCE’s new music video for their single “Toothbrush” dropped Thursday to much buzz, due to the sexy onscreen pairing of frontman Joe Jonas and model Ashley Graham.

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The former Jonas Brother and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover star got steamy in a series of amorous vignettes that took them everywhere from “Netflix and chill” to “afternoon delight” for the single from DNCE’s EP SWAAY.

Graham chatted with Billboard about getting intimate with Joe, running in heels and challenging industry beauty standards.

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How did you land this role?

The DNCE team reached out to me and said that Joe personally selected me for the video and didn’t have anyone else in mind for the role. How could I say no to that?!

What was working with Joe Jonas like?

The first time I ever met Joe was when I arrived on set. We instantly clicked and had great on-camera chemistry.

Tell us about the looks you wear in the video.

In the bedroom scenes, my favorites of course, I’m wearing a bra and underwear set from my line with Addition Elle. In the kissing scene, I’m wearing a bodycon dress by Alexander Wang.

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Do you have any funny memories or stories from the shoot?

In one of the night scenes, I challenge Joe to race him to the car. Production didn’t think I would be able to run in 6-inch heels and offered to change their idea, but I proved them wrong!

What are you listening to right now?

I’m a huge DNCE fan. “Cake by the Ocean” is on my gym playlist, and I’m going to see their show next month! I’m also loving Alicia Keys’ new song “In Common.”

YouTubers have left a lot of commentary on the video, saying things like “seeing a curvy model in this video made it 1,000 times better.” How does it make you feel to read comments like that?

It’s inspiring to read those comments and reminds me why I work so hard to challenge conventional beauty standards. So often we see the typical “video girl,” who’s definitely not a size 14/16. It doesn’t accurately portray what our world looks like, especially because the average size woman is a size 14. It’s really important that all industries celebrate diversity, especially diverse body types.