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Get it, girl! Model Tess Holliday enjoyed some fun in the sun on the beach while wearing an adorable Swimsuits for All one-piece floral bathing suit on Tuesday, July 16. The beauty spent the day in Malibu hanging with a close pal and drinking frozen rosé, according to her Instagram. One question: Where was our invite? Tess is an advocate for body positivity and the pioneer of the movement “#effyourbeautystandards,” which has been trending since 2013. Besides being a total badass, she is also apparently a very fun beach date. Keep scrolling to see photos!
Fans flooded the comments of Tess’ Instagram after she posted about her fun beach day. “Wishing we were with you,” one person wrote. Someone else added, “I love you so much!” A separate commenter hoped, “Just waiting for you to throw a beach party so we can all be cute together.”
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Do You, Girl
Another fan gushed, “But like can we talk about how damn cute you are though?! Love you ma’am!! Keep doing what you’re doing cause you’re f—king rad!” One user echoed, “Truly living your best life. A mood. An inspiration to us all.”
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A True Queen
The 34-year-old seems to always feel confident and amazing in her own skin. Her secret? Being patient with herself.
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Solid Advice
“Remember that loving yourself takes time,” she exclusively told Life & Style. “It’s not an easy road, but it’s one worth traveling down. Everyone is on their own journey with loving themselves and it’s important to be understanding of that.”
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Not Afraid to Clap Back
Tess frequently calls out trolls and negative comments on her feed. “I think it frustrates me that so many people have bought into the idea of what we should look like instead of actually giving a crap about everyone around you,” she explained to Self magazine in June 2018. “People should mind their own business.”
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Change of Perspective
The model has learned a thing or two from being in the public eye. “In the beginning, I used to say, ‘I’m healthy, my cholesterol’s fine, I don’t have high blood pressure, I don’t have diabetes,'” she began.
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New Approach
However, she realized that there’s no need to explain herself. The beauty continued, “By telling people that you see a doctor, and telling people that you’re healthy, it’s perpetuating the abuse against bigger bodies and the mindset that we owe it to people to be healthy. The reality is I don’t owe you shit and I don’t have to prove that I’m healthy or not, because it is nobody’s business.”
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Her Outlook
In the end, Tess sees the haters as people who are trying to bring her down. “I just refuse to go down that road, and to feel like I need to prove my health and my worth to people that don’t care,” she added.
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Wise Words
Tess noted, “There’s a famous quote, I don’t know who said it but I use it all the time: ‘Never waste your time explaining yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.'”
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What’s Next?
Tess has big dreams for the future of her career. “I want to break into high fashion because you have plus-size celebrities, you have the consumers, and yet we’re not seeing a reflection of [that] reality. Even broaching the subject can make people [get] up in arms,” she told Vogue in January 2018.
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Reach for the Stars
In addition, Tess caught the runway bug after appearing in a few fashion shows. “For a long time, I kind of said that it was not something I wanted to do. I understand that I’m short, big and tattooed, but after doing a couple of runway shows [last] year, my outlook changed — it was exhilarating,” she gushed.
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Next Stop
“I want to do more high fashion [in general], to be in magazines wearing luxury designers,” the author noted. “It’s time to see someone of my size represented and I’ve done everything else!”
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There Are Conditions
Getting a high-fashion offer doesn’t mean Tess plans on throwing her principles out the window. “Why would I want to walk the runway for a brand to be their token plus-size girl when they’re not even making my size?” says Holliday. “When these big brands that have so much influence start making plus sizes, then 100 percent call me because then it shows that they care and that they’re actually invested.”
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More Work to Do
Standing at just 5-foot-3 hasn’t stopped Tess from achieving her modeling dreams. It turns out, she’s hoping to help others along the way. “I feel like now is the time to shake things up. I’d like to be the person who changes things, or at least open doors for others,” she said.
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Why Though
She divulged that breaking into the industry surprised her a lot. “It was interesting for me to step into beauty,” she recalled. “For so long advertising hasn’t been inclusive when it comes to plus sizes which is crazy to me. Hair and makeup are things used by everyone — it doesn’t make any sense.”
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Being Her Authentic Self
Tess keeps it real 100 percent of the time and that’s why her 1.9 million Instagram followers love her.
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Keep Slaying
BRB, planning our next trip to the beach. Don’t forget the frozen rosé!
