Tess Holliday is the Cover Model for Cosmopolitan UK

Tess Holliday is the cover model for Cosmopolitan Uk’s October issue. The body positive activist was criticized by TV personality Piers Morgan for celebrating obesity. Morgan also stated that it was “misguided as celebrating zero-sized models.” A number of plus-sized models have supported the body positivity movement through social media. Holiday is a size 22 and does not have an hourglass shape, which society usually deems as an acceptable form of fat. In the article, Holiday says she continues to take about body diversity on behalf of those who do not have the same platform and the number of followers she does.

The beauty industry has historically ignored the presence of larger bodies. Larger bodies have been stigmatized by the media as undesirable. Holliday’s presence on a mainstream women’s magazine expands the standards of beauty. Piers Morgan is not alone in his views. He represents one of the ways in which fatness is framed by contemporary US society.