Tess Holliday took to social media to reveal that she’s “anorexic and in recovery” after years of struggling with her relationship with her body.
I’m anorexic & in recovery. I’m not ashamed to say it out loud anymore. I’m the result of a culture that celebrates thinness & equates that to worth, but I get to write my own narrative now. I’m finally able to care for a body that I’ve punished my entire life & I am finally free
— Tess H?lliday (@Tess_Holliday) May 1, 2021
via People:
The model and body activist, 35, said that her eating disorder is “the result of a culture that celebrates thinness and equates that to worth.”
“I’m anorexic and in recovery. I’m not ashamed to say it out loud anymore,” Holliday posted on Twitter. “I’m the result of a culture that celebrates thinness and equates that to worth, but I get to write my own narrative now. I’m finally able to care for a body that I’ve punished my entire life and I am finally free.”
Holliday decided to speak out about her eating disorder after receiving multiple comments about her weight.
“To everyone that keeps saying ‘you’re looking healthy lately’ or ‘You are losing weight, keep it up!’ Stop,” she wrote on Instagram. “Don’t. Comment. On. My. Weight. Or. Perceived. Health. Keep. It. To. Yourself. Thanks??”
The mom of two said that she has lost weight — “I’m healing from an eating disorder and feeding my body regularly for the first time in my entire life.” But she explained that her changing size is not something people should be commenting on.
“When you equate weight loss with ‘health’ and place value and worth on someone’s size, you are basically saying that we are more valuable now because we are smaller & perpetuating diet culture… and that’s corny as hell,” Holliday said.
“For folks like me that are trying to reframe our relationships with our bodies and heal, hearing comments about weight is triggering as hell,” she continued. “It sets us back in our progress — and when people working on themselves see you commenting to me that way, it hurts THEM, not just me. I can take it (I shouldn’t have to, but I can) but they didn’t ask for that trauma, ok?”
Holliday ended her post by telling people that “if you can’t tell someone they look nice without making it about their size, then baby, please don’t say nuthin at all.”
Her social media posts received tons of positive and supportive comments, but Holliday also dealt with people who questioned her eating disorder.
“Not the ‘but your fat how are you anorexic’ comments. Y’all don’t know how science & body works huh. My technical diagnosis is anorexia nervosa and yes, I’m still not ashamed,” she tweeted. “I’m too damn happy for y’all to even come close to dimming my shine.”
And others said she that she “can’t possibly love” herself, but Holliday quickly corrected them.
“To everyone saying that I can’t possibly love myself and have an eating disorder, that is the actual definition of loving myself,” she said. “Being able to prioritize myself & to be in recovery. I’m more self-aware than any of my critics but you know, y’all go off.”
See Tess’ post below.
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