‘Cosmo UK’ Features Tess Holliday, Plus Size Model, On Its Cover

Tess Holliday is best known for pushing boundaries in the fashion and beauty world, and today is no different. Cosmo UK revealed their upcoming magazine cover and it featured none other than Holliday. This is groundbreaking for several different reasons.

First, Tess Holliday is a well-known plus size model, so her feature on the cover of a magazine like Cosmo UK is a big stride towards inclusivity for models of all body types. Most models are still the American industry size 0 while Holliday is an American size 22.

Beyond this, the photo feature is not just a closeup of Holliday’s face, a cropped photo meant to exclude her body from the image. As Twitter user, Marion Teniade, put it, “This is especially great bc most of the times I’ve seen plus size or even just slightly chubby women on a magazine cover, it’s a tight crop on her face. It’s the ‘you have such a beautiful face’ of shots.”

Additionally, Holliday’s plus size body is not covered up or swathed in material in order to hide it from viewers. Instead, her body is presented like any other body. In many other instances where plus size models rocked a cover of a magazine, their bodies were often swaddled with unflattering clothes to cover them up. Holliday instead rocks a one-piece bathing suit on the cover, a shade of hunter green that compliments her auburn hair.

Holliday is also a body positivity activist, and this feature helps to promote her cause of accepting your body, no matter what shape or size it is. Beyond shape or weight, Holliday also promotes acceptance for people of all different heights. She is of a smaller stature, coming in at only 5’5?, which is also significantly shorter than the industry standard at 5’11”.

Fans have been effusive of Holliday’s latest cover, talking about how momentous seeing her on the cover of such a magazine was and how hopeful it made them for the future of body positivity and inclusivity.

Holliday herself tweeted out the newly released cover with a heartfelt message.

“Phew, I’m literally a COSMO GIRL!! Can’t believe I’m saying that!
Thank you @CosmopolitanUK for this incredible opportunity! If I saw a body like mine on this magazine when I was a young girl, it would have changed my life!
Issue hits stands 8/31!”

This is Holliday’s second cover photo in recent months showcasing her entire body. She also graced the June cover of the first ever digital edition of Self Magazine.