Why Tess Holliday's Cosmo Cover Is Important

A recent conversation at work had me disagreeing with some of my colleagues, so much so, I've bashed out a bunch of words on my day off trying to get my head around it.

Tess Holliday, the cover star
If you're still one of those people who stops to look at the magazine shelf in the shop, you'll have seen the red head model blowing you a kiss from the Cosmo front cover. She stands out for obvious reasons. Her pale skin decorated with tattoos, and her size 26 figure.

Proving itself a hot topic, I found myself disagreeing with my entire team on Friday afternoon. Discussing their points that the plus size model shouldn't be on the cover because it promotes unhealthiness, a dangerous excuse for young minds, I simply can't help but wonder, where the eff is the girl power?

Mental health is just as important as the physical. To me, I see a young woman who is confident, and happy, and that's inspiring. She's so obviously not telling anyone to go out and eat three Big Macs for lunch.

Speaking to Holly and Phillip on This Morning, Tess said: "My message isn't, 'Let's all be fat!'. My message is, 'Let's love yourself, regardless of how you look in your current body'.

Instagram super babes like Ashley Graham, I Weigh's Jameela Jamil and Florence Given have given women a new burst of life to celebrate every single type of woman, from those who've battled eating disorders, to the ones on the larger side and the ladies who don't give a shit what you think of their casual sex habits.


The I Weigh movement
"WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY" tee as worn by the artist, Florence Given
Florence released a line of t-shirts this weekend for Weekday, proudly displaying the hand printed slogan "Women Don't Owe You Pretty" across the front. This is the perfect comeback for Piers Morgans unwanted comments on the September 2018 magazine cover.

Donald Trump's buddy and the Good Morning Britain host wrote on Instagram, "As Britain battles an ever-worsening obesity crisis, this is the new cover of Cosmo. Apparently we’re supposed to view it as a ‘huge step forward for body positivity.’ What a load of old baloney. This cover is just as dangerous & misguided as celebrating size zero models"

Presumably, if you're obese, you probably know the health risks. So, let's get one thing straight, obesity has always been an issue. Heart disease isn't something that has recently been discovered, and diabetes and cancer haven't just sprung up over night. Can someone please let Piers know, and tell Some Black Guy that women don't exist for your "land whale" comments whilst you're at it.

The history of womens magazines is soaked in hidden sexism. If it's not a spread on the latest diet, it's a perfectly toned young woman, with every inch photoshopped, next to cover lines like, "How To Give The Perfect Handjob", or "Lose 10 Pounds In 10 Days". And people think a fat woman is the dangerous one here?



Speaking on This Morning, Tess said "At the end of the day, I'm not doing this for people like Piers".

"I'm doing this for women around the world that need to see someone that looks like me to feel less alone and to understand that the way they look is beautiful."

She said that the majority of her following is not plus size, but that it's quite diverse, and a lot of women have issues with their bodies. The fact that her image on a magazine cover could make the news, cause a 53-year old male divorcee to comment to such an obsessive extent and the Cosmopolitan editor to receive death threats, made her suggest, "We could go a long way with a little bit of respect and kindness".

"I'm doing this for women around the world that need to see someone that looks like me to feel less alone and to understand that the way they look is beautiful."

Women care about what they look like; The fitness market is helping women to get strong, not skinny, more and more people are choosing to go vegan, and with body positivity movements gathering further representation, I would go as far to say, it's never been better to be a modern female. All hail new wave feminism and how it's helping to change how women see their bodies. 

Which is why Tess Holiday on the front of Cosmo is so important folks. Let the people who don't understand play the shame game. Your happiness, character, intellect, personality and self worth are so much more important because beauty comes from the inside.

Here's to the art of absolutely loving yourself above anything else.


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