Tess Holliday (formerly known as Tess Munster, real name Ryann Maegan Hoven) is an American make-up artist, blogger, and model best known for her appearances in various fashion campaigns including Torrid, Marie Claire, and Vogue Italia. Holliday has also appeared on many television series including her A&E documentary, Heavy (2011).
In 2015, Holliday became the first woman over a size 20 to be signed by a major modeling agency.[1] Shortly thereafter, she graced the cover of People Magazine, and her career has been booming ever since.
Holliday is a “body positive activist” and very vocal on social media about her opinions regarding unhealthy standards in the fashion industry. In 2013, she launched her #EffYourBeautyStandards campaign on Instagram, aiming to show women that they shouldn’t be limiting their fashion choices due to their size and that they can love their bodies — large or small.
Holliday spoke to Nylon magazine in July of 2019 about a time a man at a bar asked her “Are you bi?” Holliday responded: "Thank you so much for asking. I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship to my own queerness, and I think the word pansexual speaks to me more than bi does." After a pause, the man finally responded, "Thank you for telling me about that, but actually, I said, 'Are you buying?'" [2]
Speaking further with Nylon, Holliday mentioned that being out of the closet comes with a sense of relief.
I feel like a lot of stuff in my life now makes sense.... A lot of the things that I felt when I was younger make sense. A lot of the relationships that I had make sense. I definitely have a sense of relief. I can connect with people on a more intimate level than I was before, because I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not.
Whether she is appearing on magazine covers, or continuing to shatter “conventional” beauty standards, Tess Holliday is welcome under our bi umbrella.