Tess Holliday Shares Candid Crying Photo Showcasing Life As A Working Mom

Plus-size model Tess Holliday is getting candid about life with a baby as she shed some tears over not getting enough sleep. The 31-year-old mother-of-two posted a selfie showcasing her emotions as she told her followers about life as a mom and a model.

However, it wasn’t just lack of sleep making Tess tear up, but the fact she had a long day at work ahead of her. She states she can usually balance life as a mom to two young boys and modeling, but it all became a bit overwhelming as her baby started teething.

“This is the reality of being a mom. I’ve been up since 3 am, & every time I get Bowie to sleep & try to lay him down, he wakes up. He is teething & has no clue I have to work today, & most days I can work 15 hour days, take care of both boys & put some lipstick on & deal with it.”

Tess goes on to say that she usually can put on some lipstick, drink some coffee, and obsess over her 8-month-old son, Bowie, but was overcome with emotion after a sleepless night. But that’s not all that had Holliday feeling down as she shared the candid moment with fans.

“My confidence has taken a blow with this birth & it wasn’t until this morning I realized why. The pressure of ‘looking good’ for a living is too much today.”

While Holliday acknowledges the pressures and expectations of her career, she questions where the balance is for working mothers.

“As a working mom in an industry that’s as critical as mine, where is the line? The balance? The compassion?”

And fans seemed to agree with her sentiments as they offered words of support. Some Instagram users reminded Tess that she’s only human, after all.

“Surprise! You are human. Don’t let it get you down. You are amazing and will get through this as well.”

Others thanked Holliday for sharing her struggles as many women can relate to her experience.

“Thank you for sharing. Motherhood is the most difficult challenge we as women can experience imo. Give yourself some grace and rest. You are doing a wonderful job mama!”

Today reported on Holliday’s choice to share her candid moment as the site said the model is one of their favorite people. In addition to being a mom, the article states Tess is responsible for promoting body acceptance as she also brings awareness for working moms.

“Tess Holliday is a force of nature and she’s one of our favorite people at TODAY. For one thing, she was People magazine’s first size-22 model in 2015 and she regularly stands up as a positive force when it comes to body shaming (including during her recent pregnancy).”

The site went on to recap Holliday’s photo caption as it detailed what life has been like for Tess since welcoming her second son.

“But long workdays as a model and lifestyle guru paired with a teething baby (little Bowie is now eight months) are taking their toll, as she noted in a tearful Instagram photo and heartfelt message posted Monday that went viral.”

But Today went a step further as it brought attention to the fact Tess doesn’t shy away from bringing attention to matters other celebrities seem to ignore.

“Still, it’s very much in character for her to share with the world something that many new parents won’t admit: sometimes you just can’t do it all.”

In fact, Holliday discussed her choice to share the moment with her 1.4 million followers as she was interviewed by Today.

“When I wrote the post, I had just finished crying for an hour and Bowie was crawling all over the bed,” Holliday told Today. “I knew it was temporary, but I had reached my breaking point.”

Tess got a little more detailed into why she feels so overwhelmed with her second baby compared to her first, as she welcomed Bowie amid a successful modeling career and body positivity campaign.

“My first son was like a potato, he was a lazy baby,” she recalls. “You could put him down anywhere and he’d hang out. Bowie is constantly into things. He’s a lot more work.”

Rylee, Holliday’s eldest son, is 11-years-old and was born before her career catapulted her into the spotlight. But now that she’s in the spotlight, Tess is using it as a platform to raise awareness of multiple issues that women continue to face on a daily basis.

[Featured Image by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images]