Tess Holliday Claps Back At Trolls With Kindness

Plus-size model Tess Holliday doesn’t let Internet trolls get under her skin. In fact, in a first-person essay for InStyle magazine, Holliday says she responds to hateful messages with love and support.

“The other day I woke up to the following message on Instagram: ‘Your body image is unhealthy and dangerous. You’re a blimp trying to layer yourself in nice clothes and makeup. Can’t wait for you to drop dead of a heart attack.’ It ended with a smiley-face emoji,” Holliday writes. “I receive messages like this every day — and have my entire life. I would be lying if I said they didn’t affect me. I go to therapy to try to make sense of it all. I will tell someone to f– off if they deserve it, but I’d rather come from a place of compassion.”

Holliday then talks about the day she received a venom-filled comment from one of her 1.8 million Instagram followers. Before responding, Holliday visited the woman’s page and discovered she was recovering from anorexia.

“ So I wrote to her: ‘I’m sad because you must be feeling really horrible to say such nasty things to me. The diet culture is fucked up and has ruined so many lives. Good luck with your recovery.’ I put a heart after my message, and she responded with ‘Thank you’ and a sad face, which I wasn’t expecting,” Holliday said.

Holliday often posts about self-love and positive body image, and isn’t shy about calling out the diet and fashion industries for promoting unhealthy beauty standards. Holliday’s outspokenness has made her a controversial figure, and critics often accuse her of downplaying the health risks of obesity. However, Holliday says she will never stop encouraging women to feel better about their bodies, regardless of size.

“It’s hard with the political and social climate we’re in, but, man, what a time to be alive,” Holliday wrote in InStyle. “People are actually listening, and things are changing.”