Opinion: Tess Holliday. How do you think she will help or hurt perceptions/opinions on size, discrimination, weight, and most of all, WLS? Good or bad or neither?

I'm not sure I understand what the big deal is about her modeling. I see larger plus models on Zulily, SWAK, Torrid, LB, etc... Is it that she is 280 lbs? With the super-sizing of America, I guess she meets a need somewhere in the industry.

Imo, she a beautiful girl. I watched a documentary featuring Tess and she seems like a sweetheart.

It's disappointing that she seems to be getting so much hate directed her way. I think it really irks people to see someone so far outside of what society deems beautiful and ideal have so much esteem and confidence in herself.

I think she definitely helps. My frustration with seeing "plus size" models was that they were still a seemingly unattainable standard of beauty and size. Like, how are you gonna tell me this goddess with her perfect hourglass is a size 16? I was a size 16 and I looked like a watermelon with limbs. I had absolutely no waist or shape at all. Just round.

There are size 20+ women who need to see someone who represents their demographic in fashion. Many women that size think that fashion doesn't exist for them, and it's simply not true. They're just underrepresented. If you follow Tess's social media, she seems to be a pretty regular woman. She works out, she's got herself a man (a damn good looking one too) and just works and lives like you and me. I can't speak to her bill of health because I'm not a doctor, but if she and her chosen medical professional are okay with her weight and shape, then who is anybody to disagree?

I think fat or skinny people who carry on about how great they think they are, and how much they love themselves, are super annoying. For me, it's got nothing to do with size, it's those kinds of personalities that I hate.

@blashlee I so agree with this "My frustration with seeing "plus size" models was that they were still a seemingly unattainable standard of beauty and size."

It has always been puzzling to me to look through a plus size catalog and see the clothes modeled by someone 5'10" and size 10. I have noticed though that more catalogs and online store-sites are using models that truly look like they wear a plus size.

I think the problem i have with this woman is that she claims she is healthy and the lifestyle is healthy and she pushes the lifestyle, i have no problem with plus size models or people, but promoting it as healthy, well we all know the real face of that. Denial aint just a river in Egypt. We've all been victims of denial, and enabling, there are many very large women and men who model sexual fetish sites and the like, but making money does not make it healthy. We know it, we live it, we are fixing it. She can live her life, and It won't affect me either way. The truth is not debatable, we are a part of that and yes, the truth hurts. The days of the Fat happy person stereotype should be washed away. too many people suffer and die needlessly, we know with help, you can retake control of your life, we are all examples of this, ( some more than others, thank you for leading the way) The food addict is no different in denial from the other addicts who are just fine and dandy with being addicted. When i was a smoke ( 17 years ago) i used to say " hey I like being a smoker, I enjoy my cigarettes, no one is going to make me quit if i don't want to.". In truth that is just me deflecting from my addiction. I did the same with food, "hey i enjoy my food, i could be a drinker or take drugs, its just food.." I think most of us know where I am coming from.

So in the grand scheme of things, is she hurting me? No. Is she hurting herself, that's a different story entirely.

I think the problem i have with this woman is that she claims she is healthy and the lifestyle is healthy and she pushes the lifestyle, i have no problem with plus size models or people, but promoting it as healthy, well we all know the real face of that. Denial aint just a river in Egypt. We've all been victims of denial, and enabling, there are many very large women and men who model sexual fetish sites and the like, but making money does not make it healthy. We know it, we live it, we are fixing it. She can live her life, and It won't affect me either way. The truth is not debatable, we are a part of that and yes, the truth hurts. The days of the Fat happy person stereotype should be washed away. too many people suffer and die needlessly, we know with help, you can retake control of your life, we are all examples of this, ( some more than others, thank you for leading the way) The food addict is no different in denial from the other addicts who are just fine and dandy with being addicted. When i was a smoke ( 17 years ago) i used to say " hey I like being a smoker, I enjoy my cigarettes, no one is going to make me quit if i don't want to.". In truth that is just me deflecting from my addiction. I did the same with food, "hey i enjoy my food, i could be a drinker or take drugs, its just food.." I think most of us know where I am coming from.

So in the grand scheme of things, is she hurting me? No. Is she hurting herself, that's a different story entirely.

How does she push the lifestyle? I have never seen her encourage others to become her size or get bigger. In fact, she says works out and has dropped from a size 28 to a size 22. I think the message she promotes is to have confidence and a healthy self-esteem regardless of whatever size you are. Society really has a problem with anything promotes the positive wellbeing within fat folks, it's almost like there's a narrative that says fat people until they lose the weight should be unhappy and loathe themselves.

actually there are several interviews where she says she hopes to gain much more weight and that people lie about fat being unhealthy and how many other things like that. do a google search you'll find them. No one is saying you should loathe yourself by any means, but the idea that you should just accept being fat and embrace it, is great for your psyche and for talk show hosts but your psyche wont help you fight off diabetes or heart disease or the myriad other issues including discrimination, shaming, mobility etc. Im not advocating hate, im advocating help. if we can make the help available then more people may take on the task of getting healthy and less people will die at a young age because of their weight.