The internet and beyond exploded when Tess Holliday became the first size 22 plus-sized model to be on the cover of “People” magazine.
Some argue that this is a step in the right direction, that the modeling industry is expanding and showing all body types. Unfortunately, the explosion of the plus-sized industry has instead split the modeling world in two.
Now, the plus-sized industry has a new face, “Tess Holliday,” and she is going to mess everything up.
There is a line when it comes to weight. There are people who are naturally curvy and bigger, and they have learned to embrace that. There are people who are naturally thin. Then there are the people who take their weight to the extreme and fall under unhealthily skinny or, in Holliday’s case, unhealthily fat.
Holliday is 5’5″ and 280 pounds with a BMI of 46.6. The normal BMI ranges from 18. 5 to 24.9. An obese BMI is 30 and up. Holliday is 16.6 over the obese BMI.
It is 2015 and we have shifted from putting anorexic models on covers to now putting obese models on covers. WHERE IS THE BALANCE???
Instead of promoting anorexia and eating disorders, we are now promoting obesity and unhealthy eating habits on the opposite spectrum.
America, the home of obesity, should not be normalizing or promoting obesity. By publicizing obese models, we are saying that it is okay to live unhealthy lifestyles.
Holliday, found on Instagram, has taken to social media to express her body confidence. Along with sharing pictures of her new tattoos of Miss Piggy and Hello Kitty, she also shares pictures of her eating lots and lots of food.
I fully support showing off all types of women and showing off body confidence. However, we should not be promoting unhealthy people with unhealthy lifestyles. If you need three people to help you stand up, there is a problem.
The truth is, Tess Holliday is fat and unhealthy. The only reason she became famous is because she is fat, and the media gives her a free pass because of it.
Recently, Holliday made a racial statement, saying, “Black men love me,” but we never heard about it. Instead, we hear about her #effyourbeautystandards campaign, which is essentially body shaming skinny girls.
It goes past being just fat; Holliday is unhealthy and borderline arrogant. She posts pictures of herself binging on corn dogs and candy and pushes the fact that she is fat so much that when you look at her, that is all you see. She shows no respect for herself or her body whatsoever.
“I am fat, so it is kind of silly to get mad about it,” Holliday said recently.
I agree that she is fat, but that is not the reason people are mad. People are mad because she is dangerously unhealthy and should not be glorified because of it.
“Tess Holliday is not a beautiful plus-sized model; she is unhealthy and not a good role model for anyone. There is a distinct difference between loving your curves and flaunting your fat and sick lifestyle,” says a freshman.
It seems as though Holliday is getting a free pass in life and all this attention because of her size. There are millions of prettier girls who can be featured in magazines, but instead they chose the 280 pound model who continues to abuse her body.
“The only reason she is famous is because of her size. She is not even a good person. If the modeling industry wants to show off diverse groups of people, they should show off all body types, not just the extremes,” says another freshman.
Tess Holliday does not deserve to be worshiped by the media. Instead, the media should be focused on displaying all types of women who respect their bodies and themselves.
How do you feel about Tess Holliday?