TESS HOLLIDAY’S BODY has been the subject of countless debates within both mainstream and social media over the course of the last week.
Phew, I’m literally a COSMO GIRL!! Can’t believe I’m saying that! 😭😭
— Tess Holliday 🥀 (@Tess_Holliday) August 29, 2018
Thank you @CosmopolitanUK for this incredible opportunity 🙏🏻 If I saw a body like mine on this magazine when I was a young girl, it would have changed my life 💕
Issue hits stands 8/31! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/sBYWY7nEwZ
After featuring on the cover of Cosmopolitan in the UK, the plus-size model’s body was ultimately used as a vehicle by some to further alienate those who fall outside society’s perception of the ideal body.
Instead of recognising the positive implications Tess’s covershoot can and will have on thousands of women who struggle with body image issues, some corners of society have gone as far as to suggest the publication’s cover glamourises obesity.
To that suggestion, Cosmpolitan editor, Farrah Storr, countered:
Are people going to look at that and go ‘Do you know what? I’m now going to go mainline doughnuts, this is what I want from my life.’ Of course they’re not. It’s patronising.
And now Tess herself has had her say.
The 33-year-old model, who said her life would have been changed if she had seen a similar shoot as a young girl, spoke on This Morning earlier today.
Referring to remarks made by Piers Morgan, she said:
I’m not doing this for people like Piers. I’m doing this for women around the world that need to see someone who looks like me, to feel less alone and to understand that the way they look is beautiful.
She added:
The majority of my following is not plus-size. It’s very diverse and so at the end of the day we all have issues with our bodies and I’m sure Piers does as well and, you know, I think we could go along way with a little bit of respect and kindness but unfortunately that didn’t happen in this case.
Tess is understandably scathing of the notion that her appearance on the cover of the magazine promotes obesity, and reminded the public that the objective of the shoot was inclusivity.
I’m not putting myself on the cover and saying, ‘Hey guys, let’s all gain 300lbs and be fat’. I’m literally just existing in my body. I don’t have to prove that I’m healthy to anybody. I’m so incredibly grateful to be able to exist in this space that people haven’t been able to before. My health is no one’s business.
Reiterating her stance, she concluded with a point which her supporters understood to be the key message of the shoot.
My message isn’t, ‘Let’s all be fat!’. My message is, ‘Let’s love yourself, regardless of how you look in your current body’. Your mental health is far more important before you can worry about your physical health.
Something to think about, Piers.
