Tess Holliday, 32, seemingly disses Ashley Graham, 30, calling her actions “insulting” in a Nov. 20 interview with PAPER magazine! “If someone googles ‘model’ they’re going to see Bella Hadid, or Gigi. If they google ‘plus-size model’ they’re going to see me. I think it’s incredibly frustrating that all these women capitalize off a marginalized group and when they become famous they are too good for it,” Tess explains to the mag.
“One of them was just in a Lane Bryant campaign,” she adds, and we can’t help but think she’s referring to Ashley, who serves as the primary face of the brand — and who “famously denounced the term ‘plus-size,'” as the magazine points out. (Lane Bryant models Candice Huffine and Denise Bidot have also condemned the term, and Tess has countered that view before — see the tweet below.) Check out more photos of Ashley Graham here.
“How can you build your career from taking money from plus-size women and then turn around and say the term’s not good enough for you? I don’t want to be called ‘curvy sexy-licious,’ that’s ridiculous. It’s insulting! We can’t even be who we are,” Tess declares. “I get the whole ‘not being into labels,’ but it’s for a plus-size woman being like “I’m plus-size, she’s plus-size, I’m fat, she’s fat.” It’s not a hate-term, it’s how I describe my body.” There you have it!
Find it interesting that Plus Size models don't want to be called "plus size" but don't mind taking a check from a PLUS SIZE company.
— Tess H🍒lliday (@Tess_Holliday) October 26, 2015
HollywoodLifers, do you think Tess was throwing shade at Ashley? Or was she talking about a different model? Sound off in the comments!