It's only been a few months since Tess Holliday first caught the Internet's attention for #effyourbeautystandards, a viral campaign rebelling against the fashion industry's unrealistic definitions of beauty. In January, the size 22, 5-foot-5 Mississippi native made history when she inked a deal with MiLK management, becoming the first model of her height and size to be picked up by a major agency. And now, the 29-year-old has revealed the stunning results of her first agency photoshoot on Instagram.
Photographed by Catherine Harbour, the images show Holliday wearing a casual scoop-neck tee and boxer briefs. Not only are her tattoos and septum ring entirely visible (a rarity in most model shots), but the photos depict the model exactly as she is: strong, confident, and comfortable in her own skin. As she captioned the photos on Instagram, "So thrilled that I can finally share these images. I shot with @catherineharbour in London last month & this was the result... Thanks to my agent for pushing me out of my comfort zone!" Indeed, it marks a refreshing change that we hope the entire industry can get behind.
Holliday's career goals go far beyond landing a major campaign (although there's no doubt she'll do that, too). As she told The Daily Mail, "I think if someone doesn't look at an image and feel something, you haven't done your job. Whether it's a negative or positive, it should evoke something in them." Holliday believes that because there are many ways to be beautiful, there should be more than one type of model to show for it. "I want to challenge society's perception of 'beauty' and what's acceptable in our industry and the world," she explained. "There is no one way to be a woman, or to be beautiful. We all deserve a place." (The Daily Mail)