Tess Holliday is a 30-year-old model who’s received a lot of attention on social media over the past year.
In addition to the usual modeling stuff (posing for photos, designing her own line of swimwear, etc.), Holliday has made a point of speaking out against fat-shaming and the pressure on young women to attain a certain shape.
As you can see, Tess is pregnant these days, and because the Internet is a place where society’s most irredeemable D-bags go to find their kind, she’s subjected to numerous insensitive comments.
Thankfully, rather than getting discouraged by the horrendous treatment she’s received from comment board trolls, Tess has decided to treat this as a teachable moment and demonstrate the importance of remaining courageous in the face of bullying.
Earlier today Tess posted the following nude photo on Instagram:
She captioned it, “I will continue to live unapologetically, to thrive in this body, prove the naysayers wrong & laugh at the ignorance.”
She followed that up with a lengthy tirade against those who believe it’s okay to make hateful remarks about the appearances of others as long as they disguise it as concern”
“What I’ve had to be learn to be okay with (WHICH IS NOT COOL) is the fact that people still think it’s okay to comment on my body,” says the creator of the #EffYourBeautyStandards hashtag.
“‘You don’t look pregnant’, ‘you must be have quadruplets’, ‘you are putting your baby at risk’ & a slew of other uneducated statements that are very far from my reality.”
“I’m not the first plus size woman in the public eye to have a baby & share it with the world, & I certainly won’t be the last. However I’m part of a small minority that’s telling you it’s okay to not have a perfect baby bump, or not show at all, to be plus size & have a healthy child, & most importantly to find a care provider that doesn’t shame you about your size.
“It’s also okay to tell someone to fuck off when they give you unsolicited advice about what’s “best” for you & your baby. As women, we know what’s best & that’s our business.. No one else’s.”
She concluded with her signature hashtag, along with a few other poignant ones:
“#effyourbeautystandards #theresnowrongwaytobeawoman #32weeks #babyhollidayontheway”
We’d like to add “#YouGoGirl” and “KeepDoingYou” and a simple “#Thanks.”