The fashion industry is starting to become more inclusive, and Tess Holliday is at the forefront of the movement. The 30-year-old made waves in the fashion world when she became the first size 22 model to sign with a major modeling agency, MiLK Model Management. She now has 1 million followers on Instagram and is becoming well-known for speaking out against today's restrictive beauty standards.
Now Holliday is challenging the veritable giant of beauty standards, Victoria's Secret, in an interview with Yahoo. She says that Victoria's Secret is unaccepting of different body types, specifically people who are "fat," a label that she embraces rather than shying away from.
"They are perpetuating the image of what's wrong with America and with society, and in general, that you have to look a certain way, like a Victoria's Secret Angel, to feel beautiful and sexy," says Holliday.
This isn't the first time Holliday has reported a negative experience with the lingerie retailer. Last September in an interview with MTV, she complained about the brand's noticeable lack of plus-sized products. "There's a certain image that Victoria's Secret upholds for this 'perfect body,' and if they were to branch out and have plus-size women, it might—in their eyes—ruin that business and branding goal. I think to have the biggest lingerie retailer in the world carry plus-size lingerie would be a huge step in the right direction and an accomplishment." While the company may be considering their brand image, Holliday is urging Victoria's Secret to move with the times.
Her words remind us of Rebel Wilson's ingenious adaptation of a Victoria's Angel costume for this year's MTV Movie Awards in April. Wilson wore fluffy, white angel wings, an edgy black bra and leggings emblazoned with the word, "Think." Her statement was clear: like Holliday, Wilson does not believe that girls today should aspire to look like Victoria's Secret models and seeks to break apart the brand's perfectionist image.
We're hoping that Tess Holliday's interview won't be the last time someone speaks out about the rigorous body image standards in the fashion industry.
