08/02/2016 AT 12:15 PM EDT  for being "too curvy" and "promoting obesity." Now, after posting  where she worked her angles and thought she looked "damn good!" people are  . In response, Graham penned an essay in this week's  "I am more than my measurements. I'm not Ashley Graham just because I'm curvy," she writes. "For the past sixteen years, my body has been picked apart, manipulated, and controlled by others who don't understand it. But now my career has given me a platform to use my voice to make a difference."  Graham says she embraced that opportunity to be a  for women, especially on social media where she grew the #BeautyBeyondSize community.  "I know the comments won't all be positive," she says. "I'm a confident woman with thick skin, and as a model in the public eye, I'm conditioned to accept criticism. But last week, I admit that I had a tougher time brushing off the haters."  Graham says the photo of her in a white skirt and crop top with a leather jacket is what set everyone off, with  things like, "You don't make plus-size dollars anymore, you make backstabbing dollars." Or "Fake fat person."  But they're all wrong, says Graham. She  – she's a model, and she knows how to look good.  "The reality is I haven't lost a pound this year," Graham says. "In fact, I'm actually heavier than I was three years ago, but I accept my body as it is today. I work out not to lose weight but to maintain  "I refuse to let others dictate how I live my life and what my body should look like for their own comfort. And neither should you," she says.  "Let's worry about our own bodies. My body is MY body. I'll call the shots."
Ashley Graham fights back against the people who body shamed her for looking slimmer in this week's Lenny Letter