Social media has given rise to influencers, and they can influence us in many different ways. Perhaps one of the best ways is in body positivity, and this takes on many different forms.
Tess Holliday is one of those influencers and she is a plus-size model. She regularly shares her views on being a plus-size model, and recently she has been talking a lot about body positivity. She was able to do so to a larger audience by sharing her thoughts in an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times.
The 34-year-old influencer says she doesn’t quite understand how critics keep telling her what she can do and what she can’t do. She also has a hard time wrapping her head around why she would need to react to anyone calling her ‘fat’ and referring to her as such.
In her opinion, any insults and the perceptions of individuals that come her way would hopefully change over time. It is her hope that people would realize more about her and that it isn’t okay to hurl insults at another human.
Something else that Tess referred to is the power of words. She feels that they do make a difference when all is said and done and using your words can wield great power.
She said: “I am ok with being called fat and plus size but I’m not okay with people shaming me as fat in a derogatory manner.”
In the past, people have given her a hard time for appearing on the cover of magazines and showing off her curves. They hounded her online for promoting an obese lifestyle, saying that it was dangerous to be that size and she should be promoting something that is a health hazard.