Robbie Tripp and his wife have become viral stars of sorts in recent days after he penned a love letter to her … and her relative thickness.
Suffice it to say, Tripp’s love letter to his curvy wife proved divisive, with many praising his words and others reacting a whole lot differently.
While many initially applauded Robbie for praising his spouse’s body and lamenting being teased for liking “girls on the thicker side.”
The backlash was swift and dramatic, however.
Model Tess Holliday is the latest in a long line of social media users who aren’t happy with this smitten husband’s viral Instagram post.
Some critics call the post self-serving or even offensive, and Holliday, a 32-year-old body positivity advocate, is certainly in that camp.
“Stop giving men trophies for doing the bare minimum,” Holliday wrote alongside a pair of Instagram photos over the weekend.
The first photo showed a tweet that read:
“*guy likes curvy woman* 16,667 favs, national news. *curvy woman likes herself* 12 favs, 48 people in your mentions talking about diabetes.”
Tess’ point is that of course we should accept women for who they are (especially one’s own partner) without being lauded as a hero.
Women’s efforts to accept themselves in a public forum often receive considerably less fanfare, even if that message is just as important.
Nevertheless, Tripp has amassed 30,000 likes on Instagram for writing, “For me, there is nothing sexier than this woman right here.”
“Thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll, etc.”
“Her shape and size won’t be the one featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan but it’s the one featured in my life and in my heart.”
“Guys, rethink what society has told you that you should desire. A real woman is not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character.”
“She’s real.”
A nice sentiment, but plenty of people weren’t fans, accusing Tripp for patting himself on the back in a public forum for liking his own wife.
Moreover, others noted that he’s calling a girl “thick” who’s barely even that … and simultaneously saying thin girls aren’t “real.”
As one particularly blunt tweeter wrote:
“That Robbie Tripp post gives me hope that one day, I too will find a man who fetishizes my weight to make himself feel like a hero.”
An Instagram user weighed in along the same lines: “This is incredibly insulting to your wife. Women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful.”
“Putting yourself on a pedestal for being with her is arrogant,” one of his followers said, while others took issue with his earlier posts.
With viral fame comes people taking a closer look at your life, and in 2015, during Caitlyn Jenner’s transition, for example, Tripp wrote:
“Born a Bruce, always a Bruce. Clothes, makeup, surgery, and public acceptance still won’t change how you came into the world.”
To that, Holliday – an outspoken LGBT advocate – responded, “Also I’m not here for someone who says transphobic things.”
Tripp doesn’t seem too bothered by the outrage though, doubling down with another photo of his wife – and a shot at his haters.
“This is what I’m currently doing while sad and sarcastic people are getting angry with their keyboard,” he tweeted this weekend.
The picture in question:
As for his 15 minutes of fame, he said, “WOW. That’s the only word in the English language fitting for what’s happened the last few days.”
“It’s been incredible to see the reaction from my simple post celebrating my wife and her body. So much positivity and love have come from it.”
“Seeing men from around the world tagging their girlfriend/wife and telling her how much they love her curvy body has been amazing.”
“Thanks to each and every person who has commented and messaged us with your thoughtful words. It means the absolute world to us!”
Tripp concluded his thank you note with a plug of sorts, writing: “Be sure to watch my IG Stories to experience this excitement with us!”
What do you think about all this? Do Holliday and some of his vocal critics have a point, or should we just … be happy he’s happy?
