Tess Holliday responds to the idea that the 'ultra thin body type' is coming back in style
Tess Holliday is sharing a message about how society celebrates thinness.
The model, 37, took to Instagram on Saturday to share multiple photos of herself, as well as a few inspirational memes. In the caption of the photo dump, she shared that she is “fatter, happier & hotter than ever.”
The body positivity activist continued, “Looking back at older photos of my career & life has been something so painful for me that I would squint my eyes nearly closed when looking through my camera roll. Other than my body changing, one of the most difficult realizations was the deep sadness in my eyes. Even in my ‘happy’ moments, it’s painfully obvious. (Lolllllll why didn’t y’all tell me?! JK). Was I going to look back on my work, and feel like I never got to give my best or be fully present because of the abuse surrounding me? I feared until recently that maybe I had accomplished my wildest dreams and never got to fully enjoy it all. Spoiler: I was wrong & the best is yet to come!”
She added, “Societally we still hold smaller bodies as the ideal definition of having it all together. There is talk of a shift in fashion where the ultra thin body type is going to be the new ‘trend’. But what if we allowed the idea to permeate our collective that ‘having it all together’, healing and being happy exists in bodies like mine? Healing deep inner wounds & leveling up for some means our bodies will inevitably get larger. It’s crucial that as things continue to shift in our culture that we give ourselves grace & compassion.”
Holliday added that while her “body is softer” and “jawline is rounder,” her “heart is stronger” than it was when she was smaller. She shared that she is “more confident” and “kinder” now.
“My weight gain might be evident to some, but for those that are really paying attention, all they see is my glow & happiness,” she continued. “Maybe my body won’t look like this forever, maybe it will… but however it evolves, I’m going to shower it with as much love & kindness as I can. After all, it’s fighting just as hard as I am to protect & nurture me. Maybe your body has changed too, & you are struggling with it, but a little perspective goes along way. Love y’all.”
Holliday concluded her post with the hashtag #EffYourBeautyStandards, a social media movement that she started in 2013 to spread body positivity and acceptance.
Holliday’s followers applauded the message. One wrote, “I love u! Ur such an amazing person to look up to! Just thank u for being ur self.” Another shared, “I’m really proud of how far you’ve come. You deserve to thrive. Seeing you this happy is beautiful.”
Holliday has long been candid about the media’s poor treatment of her due to her size. In a recent TikTok, she responded to a commenter who said they were “grossed out” by their own body before they lost weight, and that she looked towards Holliday and other “big fat people” as inspiration to diet.
“The reality is that I've gotten fatter over the years, my weight has fluctuated,” Holliday said in the video. “But the one thing that I have maintained through all of this is my joy. And I am fatter right now than I've been in a while, but I'm also happier. There's so many people that have been commenting lately saying that they can see my joy radiating. And that's how other people see me, they see the joy. Yeah, some people are going to see the fat and not pay attention to the joy, and if you're putting out into the world that you are grossed out by yourself, then more than likely, that's how you're going to be perceived.”
In April, Holliday opened up about her own struggles with body image, writing in an Instagram post, ““I’m gonna be honest, I’ve been really struggling with body image in a way I’ve never experienced. It’s been almost debilitating because even though y’all see me out having fun, it sometimes takes so much work & energy just to be able to leave the house.
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