Call her fat all you want, Tess Holliday doesn’t mind!
The world’s first size 22 model has no qualms about that particular F-word because to her it’s just a neutral adjective, though she didn’t always feel nonchalant about it.
[ Related: Tess Lands Her First Major Mag Cover! ]
She said:
“To me it’s just a word, but it wasn’t until I discovered the body positive community that I became OK with it. I’ve been called fat my whole life. I am fat, so it’s kind of silly to get mad about it.”
She’s also unapologetic about turning to food for comfort:
“Everyone has their vices. but mine [comfort eating] are visible. If I shot all day and I want a fucking hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant I’m going to eat it. Am I going to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner? No. Is it OK to do it? If you want. But, you know, no one is coming at celebrities for smoking two packs of cigarettes. Or people who post a photo with their drink at the end of the day. So why is it OK to do that to me? Life is shitty, so why would you judge somebody for dealing with it in the best way they can?”
The 29-year-old has come a long way to body acceptance, especially considering the cruel words she heard from her own father growing up:
“He’d say I had a pretty face but he would belittle me and tell me that I couldn’t do certain things because of my size.”
The model eventually cut off contact with him:
“When you become an adult and you have a choice of who to have in your life, if someone’s hurting you and making you feel bad, then they shouldn’t be in your life, even if it’s a family member. To me, they don’t have any privileges. I kept giving him chances and he kept treating me poorly, and I just thought, ├óΓé¼╦£You’re not allowed to be in my life.'”
Read Tess’ full interview HERE!
[Image via The Guardian]