Tess Holliday: Did She Just Diss Ashley Graham For Refusing To Be Called ‘Plus-Size’?

Tess Holliday blasts curvy models who condemn the term 'plus-size' in a new interview, and though she doesn't call her by name, it's clear that she's talking about Ashley Graham. Check out the new shade!

Tess Holliday And Ashley GrahamView galleryTess Holliday
Beautycon Festival, Portrait Studio, Day 2, Los Angeles, USA - 11 Aug 2019Tess Holliday
Elle Women in Hollywood, Arrivals, Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, USA - 14 Oct 2019Tess Holliday on the catwalk
Chromat 10 show, Runway, Spring Summer 2020, New York Fashion Week, USA - 07 Sep 2019
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock

Tess Holliday, 32, seemingly disses Ashley Graham, 30, calling her actions “insulting” in a Nov. 20 interview with PAPER magazine! “If someone googles ‘model’ they’re going to see Bella Hadid, or Gigi. If they google ‘plus-size model’ they’re going to see me. I think it’s incredibly frustrating that all these women capitalize off a marginalized group and when they become famous they are too good for it,” Tess explains to the mag.

“One of them was just in a Lane Bryant campaign,” she adds, and we can’t help but think she’s referring to Ashley, who serves as the primary face of the brand — and who “famously denounced the term ‘plus-size,'” as the magazine points out. (Lane Bryant models Candice Huffine and Denise Bidot have also condemned the term, and Tess has countered that view before — see the tweet below.) Check out more photos of Ashley Graham here.

“How can you build your career from taking money from plus-size women and then turn around and say the term’s not good enough for you? I don’t want to be called ‘curvy sexy-licious,’ that’s ridiculous. It’s insulting! We can’t even be who we are,” Tess declares. “I get the whole ‘not being into labels,’ but it’s for a plus-size woman being like “I’m plus-size, she’s plus-size, I’m fat, she’s fat.” It’s not a hate-term, it’s how I describe my body.” There you have it!

Find it interesting that Plus Size models don't want to be called "plus size" but don't mind taking a check from a PLUS SIZE company.

— Tess H🍒lliday (@Tess_Holliday) October 26, 2015

HollywoodLifers, do you think Tess was throwing shade at Ashley? Or was she talking about a different model? Sound off in the comments!

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