Tess Holliday has bravely shared that she is "finally free" from her eating disorder and is "not ashamed" following her anorexia battle
American plus-size model Tess Holliday has announced that she is receiving treatment for anorexia nervosa.
The cover star, 35, bravely spoke on her battle with the eating disorder by sharing a heartfelt message on her
Twitter page.
Tess typed: "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."
After the message, the model thanked her supporters for showing her love, as she penned: "Thank you all so much for the love y’all showed me today. I wasn’t expecting my tweet to blow up, but the solidarity means more than y’all know. I love it when the internet surprises me in a good way."
Anorexia is an eating disorder and serious mental health condition that can lead to severe malnutrition, bone problems and even death.
People with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food and over-exercising, according to the NHS website.
On Thursday Tess appeared on Good Morning America and told how some online trolls have queried her battle with anorexia.
She explained that she has faced backlash from other anorexics who think she is 'lying' about having the eating disorder because she is plus-size.
Speaking on the show, she explained: "I’ve had a lot of messages from folks that are anorexic that are livid and angry because they feel like I’m lying,' she said. 'I am plus-size, but advocating for diversity and larger bodies, and so I think for people hearing me say I’m anorexic was really jarring and hard and confusing."
Tess is on a mission to let people know that eating disorders don't discriminate.
"You can’t look at someone and tell whether or not they’re healthy. You just can’t,' she said.
"I understand that people look at me and I don’t fit what we have seen presented as, you know, the diagnosis for anorexia.
"But then, for me, that tells me that there’s a larger problem which I’ve been actually saying for years is that we have a like, a lack of diversity and representation in the world."
The mother-of-two recently said on Twitter that she shared on her eating disorder recovery after she was congratulated on
Instagram for losing weight.
She penned: "To everyone that keeps saying 'you’re looking healthy lately' or 'You are losing weight, keep it up!' Stop. Don’t. Comment. On. My. Weight. Or. Perceived. Health. Keep. It. To. Yourself. Thanks."
Tess added: "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 and perpetuating diet culture… and that’s corny as hell. NOT here for it."
www.mirror.co.uk
