{"id":1976,"date":"2025-07-06T20:12:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T20:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/?p=1976"},"modified":"2025-07-07T15:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T15:30:58","slug":"tess-holliday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/tess-holliday\/","title":{"rendered":"Tess Holliday Profile, Biography, Lists"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lists:<\/strong>
Most Stylish Big Beautiful Women<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Life & Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Birth Name:<\/strong> Ryann Maegen Hoven, born July 5, 1985 in Laurel, Mississippi, and raised in a family that moved over 40 times before she turned 10.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Endured childhood bullying over her weight, appearance, and family circumstances; faced family trauma involving her father and her mother\u2019s paralysis after being shot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Modeling Breakthrough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Began modelling at 15, standing 5’3″ and US size 16; initially told she was too short and big for mainstream work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Moved to Los Angeles in 2010 while working at a dental office; entered modeling competitions and became the first size\u201122 woman signed by Milk Model Management<\/strong> in January 2015, making her the largest plus-size model represented by a major agency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      Career Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Headlined campaigns for brands like Torrid<\/strong>, Monif C<\/strong>, H&M<\/strong>, Benefit Cosmetics<\/strong>, and appeared in Vogue Italia<\/strong>, Marie Claire<\/strong> UK, NYLON<\/strong>, and People<\/strong> magazine (May 2015).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Prominent runway presence, especially during Fashion Week Spring 2020<\/strong>, where she was celebrated as a breakout star.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        Activism & Body Positivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Launched the viral hashtag #EffYourBeautyStandards<\/strong> in 2013 to empower women to defy mainstream beauty norms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Known for delivering honest takes on body image, mental health, and freedom of choice\u2014she famously stated: \u201cYou\u2019re damned if you do, damned if you don\u2019t\u201d<\/em> when facing criticism about using Ozempic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Criticized double standards in fashion, like lack of recognition when she wore the viral \u201cStrawberry Dress\u201d before it became trendy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Actively advocates for expanded plus-size offerings and joined H&M in 2022 as a consultant to increase inclusive sizing to 4XL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          Other Ventures & Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Authored the memoir The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl<\/strong> (2017).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Launched her own clothing collection, mblm by Tess Holliday, in partnership with Pennington\u2019s in 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Created and wears #EffYourBeautyStandards merchandise, and speaks at events about size inclusivity and self\u2011love .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            Personal Life & Identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Married photographer Nick Holliday in 2015; mother of two sons born in 2005 and 2016; later divorced due to reported abuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Came out as pansexual in 2019 and disclosed in 2021 she was recovering from atypical anorexia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • At approximately 5’3\u2033 and US size 22\u201324 (3XL), she proudly displays her heavily tattooed body as a symbol of self-expression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \n\n\n\n

              Legacy & Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Broke industry barriers as the first mainstream size\u201122 model signed to a major agency and continues to shape cultural norms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • With over two million Instagram followers, her influence helped secure a place on Time\u2019s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet<\/strong> in 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Through her advocacy and consulting roles, she\u2019s instrumental in changing fashion\u2019s approach to inclusivity and representation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n

                Quick Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                Attribute<\/strong><\/th>Details<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                Name<\/strong><\/td>Tess Holliday (Ryann Maegen Hoven)<\/td><\/tr>
                Born<\/strong><\/td>July 5, 1985<\/td><\/tr>
                Height<\/strong><\/td>5\u20323\u2033<\/td><\/tr>
                Size<\/strong><\/td>US 22\u201324 (3XL)<\/td><\/tr>
                Children<\/strong><\/td>Two sons<\/td><\/tr>
                Agency<\/strong><\/td>Milk Model Management, Mavrick Artists Agency<\/td><\/tr>
                Social Media<\/strong><\/td>~2M Instagram followers<\/td><\/tr>
                Movement<\/strong><\/td>#EffYourBeautyStandards<\/td><\/tr>
                Notable Roles<\/strong><\/td>Model, author, activist, consultant<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n

                In Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                Tess Holliday redefined plus-size modeling by breaking age-old barriers\u2014through advocacy, fashion, and personal courage. Her commitment to change extends from social media movements to high-level fashion partnerships and inspiring real-world conversions. A model and voice for genuine inclusivity, she empowers people everywhere to live unapologetically and demand broader acceptance of all bodies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Lists:Most Stylish Big Beautiful Women Early Life & Background Modeling Breakthrough Career Highlights Activism & Body Positivity Other Ventures & Influence Personal Life & Identity Legacy & Influence Quick Facts Attribute Details Name Tess Holliday (Ryann Maegen Hoven) Born July 5, 1985 Height 5\u20323\u2033 Size US 22\u201324 (3XL) Children Two sons Agency Milk Model Management, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-models"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1976"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2010,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1976\/revisions\/2010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}