Don't question Tess Holliday's health

Laura Capon
Updated
Photo credit: Self Magazine
Photo credit: Self Magazine

From Cosmopolitan

If you're not already following Tess Holliday on Instagram, you need to sort it out because the plus-size model will inspire you with body positivity that is way more rewarding than any meme account.

On Tuesday Tess took to Instagram to share that she has been featured on the digital cover of Self, an American womens health and fitness magazine.

I’m over the moon to finally share- This is totally surreal to see a fat body on the cover of a health magazine 😭🙏🏻 Thank you Self for changing the game with me! 💕 RP @selfmagazine We’re thrilled to share our first ever digital cover, featuring model, author, and fat-positivity activist Tess Holliday (@tessholliday). From editor-in-chief @carolynkylstra’s editor’s letter: “Holliday identifies as a fat woman; we chose to give her a platform because she has insightful things to say about thriving in a world that devalues bodies of size. We also chose to feature her because size representation is necessary, especially for a national health media brand that can help guide the conversation about what it means to be healthy and how to make health accessible. You don’t know how healthy or unhealthy a person is just by looking at them, you don’t know what their health goals and priorities are, and you don’t know what they’ve already done or are planning to do for their health going forward. And moreover, you should know that concern trolling-using a person’s perceived health to justify making them feel bad about themselves-isn’t just counterproductive, it’s abusive.” - Photographer: @catherineservel, Wardrobe Styling: @marpeidro, Hair: @christianmarc at @forwardartists using @randco, Makeup: @kristinhilton at @thewallgroup, Manicure: @nailsbyemikudo at @opusbeauty | #TeamSELF #effyourbeautystandards

A post shared by T E S S 🔥 (@tessholliday) on Jun 26, 2018 at 7:26am PDT

Looking banging in nothing but her knickers and some sheer pink fabric (we love a bit of cheeky side boob), Tess acknowledged what a big deal it was for her to be on the cover of a health magazine.

"I'm over the moon to finally share - This is totally surreal to see a fat body on the cover of a health magazine. Thank you Self for changing the game with me!"

In the accompanying interview Tess talks about online trolls constantly questioning her health under the false pretence of concern.

“It frustrates me that so many people have bought into the idea of what we should look like instead of actually giving a crap about everyone around you. People should mind their own business.”

“In the beginning I used to say, ‘I’m healthy, my cholesterol’s fine, I don’t have high blood pressure, I don’t have diabetes.

Our first-ever digital cover star Tess Holliday (@tessholliday) wants you to save your concern about her health. “I try to tell people all the time you can't judge other people and what they're doing with their bodies,” she says. Holliday is using her personal body acceptance revolution to help us change the way we think about weight and health. Tap the link in bio to read @smashfizzle’s interview with Holliday for our cover story. -- Photographer: @catherineservel, Wardrobe Styling: @marpeidro, Hair: @christianmarc at @forwardartists using @randco, Makeup: @kristinhilton at @thewallgroup, Manicure: @nailsbyemikudo at @opusbeauty | #TeamSELF

A post shared by SELF Magazine (@selfmagazine) on Jun 26, 2018 at 7:47am PDT

“By telling people that you see a doctor, and telling people that you're healthy, it's perpetuating the abuse against bigger bodies and the mindset that we owe it to people to be healthy. The reality is I don't owe you shit and I don't have to prove that I'm healthy or not, because it is nobody's business.”

Keyboard warriors and the fashion industry are two things that Tess has zero time for. In a previous interview with InStyle, Tess confided that she feels "ignored" by the fashion world, a point she elaborated on with Self. “I like to buy clothes from people that actually give a shit about my body and about plus bodies. That makes me happy.”

Landed in London 3 hours ago & then my beautiful, talented friend @neciashairstyling transformed me into the mermaid of my dreams 💕

A post shared by T E S S 🔥 (@tessholliday) on Jun 18, 2018 at 2:39pm PDT

In fact clothing is the one thing Tess counts as having the biggest impact on her own self acceptance. “What shaped my perception about my body and myself was finding better clothes-that's what changed my world."

“That's why modelling really changed my self-esteem and how I view myself, because I finally for the first time have accessibility to fashion that I didn't know existed.”

All the more reason then that the high street needs to listen up and stop ignoring plus-size women.

Follow Laura on Instagram.

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