How Tess Holliday Went From Bullied To World’s First Size 22 Supermodel
It’s a pretty exciting time for women in fashion, especially for plus-size model Tess Holliday, who just landed the cover of PEOPLE Magazine. The beautiful 29-year-old was hailed as the first size-22 supermodel when she scored a contract with major modeling agency MiLK in January.
If she looks familiar, you may have seen her photos reblogged on Tumblr and awed at how gorgeous and fearless she was while scrolling through your feed. Holliday is a social media star with nearly 1 million fans on Facebook and 700,000 on Instagram. Holliday was also our pick in our annual 50 States of Style, as the most stylish fashionista in Mississippi.
The mother-of-one tells PEOPLE that since being signed to an agency her life has been a wild ride. “I just got back from London three weeks ago. I’m going to New York this week, then next week I’m going to Montreal and New York again. Then I go to Seattle, New Orleans and Vegas after that, all for work!”
Photo: Instagram
While the ride has been fun so far, preparing for takeoff wasn’t as easy. Tess endured extreme bullying, including death threats, during high school in her hometown Laurel, Mississippi.
Unsurprisingly, she also faced rejection from the modeling world when she began her career 14 years ago. “I got one call back and they said, ‘Look, you have a pretty face, but you’re too short and you’re too big,’” she reveals.
Even the popular plus-size models aren’t her size, but her success today proves that it doesn’t matter, and to Holliday it never did. “I just knew that I could do it,” she told PEOPLE. “I wasn’t the best, and I still am not the best. The key to it is just doing it.”
Her perseverance has led her to representing several brands like Torrid, Simply Be, and Benefit Cosmetics.
Be sure to grab PEOPLE’s Body Issue tomorrow, May 22, for the full interview with Tess Holliday.
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