Plus-size model Tess Holliday has explained why she enjoys doing naked photo shoots.
The body-positive activist spoke to The Post whilst attending New York Fashion Week on Wednesday night. Holliday, who was sporting a bright orange dress from the plus-sized e-tailer 11 Honoré's new line, was asked about posing nude for photo shoots.
"It’s really liberating to do nude shoots because I can only imagine what it’s like for women or young folks when they’re scrolling through Instagram and they see a body that looks like mine, and they realize that I look like them. For me, it’s not sexual, it’s just me existing and being able to say, ‘F*ck you, I belong.’ Things are changing and it’s nice for me to be able to say, this is my body, I love it. Look, If I could be naked right now, I 100 percent would."
Holliday has garnered her fair share of controversy since rising to fame as a plus-sized model, with many criticizing her for promoting an "unhealthy body image". In 2015, Holliday became the first woman over a size 20 to be signed to a major modeling agency and later featured on the front cover of People Magazine. She also received a lot of attention from the media when she started the hashtag: #effyourbeautystandards. As her fame grew, so did her follower count - Holliday currently has 1,800,000 followers on Instagram.
She recently posted a fully nude picture on her page, to a mixed reception. As with all of her posts, commenters are divided on whether Holliday is setting a good example for her followers - is she promoting body positivity, or is she promoting a dangerous and unhealthy lifestyle?
One commenter seemed to think that Tess's nude photo was going more harm than good, writing: "Body positivity is bullying. It also promotes an unhealthy lifestyle...and celebrates mental illness and disease. All while hating on slender women. Tess Holliday is a sociopathic narcissist whose ego-driven crap harms women [sic]."
Another agreed with this sentiment, commenting: "You are extremely unhealthy, no one should be idolizing you." However, on the other side of the spectrum, many fans praised Tess for her courage in posting and for helping bigger girls feel beautiful. One fan wrote: "Truly beautiful", whilst another commented: "Most beautiful woman in the world."
Whilst there are passionate comments from both sides of the argument, some people have been trying to find some middle ground, with one Instagram user commenting:
"It's great to feel good in yourself and happy with your appearance, good for you. However you're not going to be able to maintain this weight and retain (as you've said) healthy for much longer. I would be very worried if I were you. Especially for your child. It won't be nice for them to grow up without a mother because she wanted to prove a point [sic]."
Despite the comments, Tess has always remained positive and determined in her goal to celebrate her size and women like her. She showed this determination on Wednesday night at New York Fashion Week, where she cheered on transgender actress and fellow model Laverne Cox. Cox was also modeling 11 Honoré's new line on the catwalk, along with other plus-sized models.
The inclusive e-commerce site sent out a parade of new glam outfits from designer labels like Adam Lippes, Altuzarra, and Monique Lhuillier. Tess had front row seats to the show and wrote on her Instagram: "Got to witness this last night, & TBH, I cried a little. Robyn playing (my fav song RN too!) @lavernecox giving us everything she had + more. The show had so much heart from @11honore & the plus size models walking [sic]."
Whether or not you agree with Holliday's message, I think we can all agree that all of these women looked amazing on Wednesday night.
