It’s finally starting to feel like summer, but if the idea of stripping off on Dollymount Strand or Barleycove Beach fills you with trepidation, this video could give you a timely confidence boost.
The 16-second clip, produced by Simply Be USA, features plus-size superstar Tess Holliday, the first UK size 26 model to be signed by the uber cool mainstream agency MiLK Model Management.
The vid offers some straight up advice:
“Want a bikini body? Here’s how to get one in an easy step. Put a bikini on a body. Ta da!”
Tess is describes herself as a “body positive activist”, starting an #effyourbeautystandards movement on Instagram in 2013. In the same year, she was named by Vogue Italia as one of the top six plus-size models in the world.
Speaking to The Guardian about her vices recently, Holliday said “If I shot all day and I want a f*cking hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant I’m going to eat it. Am I going to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner? No. Is it OK to do it? If you want.
She continued: “But, you know, no one is coming at celebrities for smoking two packs of cigarettes. Or people who post a photo with their drink at the end of the day. So why is it OK to do that to me? Life is shitty, so why would you judge somebody for dealing with it in the best way they can?”
The girl’s got a point. In any case, one of the model’s many Twitter fans sums up our feelings on the matter:
“My only concern for @Tess_Holliday’s health is all the germs she’s gonna get in her eyes from wiping her tears with $100 bills.”
