BODYhe thwack of battle ropes as
they hit the floor, sending dust
flying into the air. A Lycra-
clad woman raising hand
weights above her head,
before racing across ladders
laid down on the floor. These- alongwith the steady pump of Calvin
Harristracks– are sights and sounds
thatyouwillhear across the UK, so par
forthecourse that they’re unremarkable.
Andyetwhen model Tess Holliday is the
womanin this scenario, it
is remarkable. People pay
attention. They comment on
her Instagram; they discuss
her on panel shows; they
write articles about her.
This is what happened
when, last year, Tess
first began sharing her
workouts on her social-media pages. Her
loyal fans feared she was turning her back
on her self-love philosophy, while her trolls
told her that she didn’t belong on the gym
floor. A war broke out in her comments
sections. She had, unwittingly, stirred up
a global debate about what happens
when a large woman works out. Here’s
what she learned along the way.
You do f i t i n
‘My first thought when Massy – the
woman who became my personal trainer- left a comment on one of my photos
was, “Is she trolling me?” But then I began
to scroll through her page and saw that
we shared the same philosophies when
it comes to health. She was using the
right language. She’s not about looking
good, she’s about what is going to help
you with your mind-set. When we first
started working out, I was worried that
everyone else in the gym was going to
judge me. That they’d roll their eyes and
think, “What is someone who weighs
136kg doing here?” But it’s actually
been the opposite. I know that gyms
can be intimidating, but I think it’s about
reminding yourself that you’re not there
for anyone else, you’re there for you.
And if you do have a bad experience,
tell the gym. Our current
climate is changing all
the time and there’s zero
tolerance for exclusion
any m o re.’It’s not about
the weight
‘I’m aware that I’m fat- but part of the reason why fat people
don’t work out, or feel comfortable
sharing it, is because others can be so
judgmental. They make assumptions about
our bodies and our health that just aren’t
true. People say things like, “You’re finally
working out” or “getting healthy” – but
if I went to see my doctor right now,
they’d tell me I am healthy. And I worked
out before! All those comments are just
perpetuating the stereotype that the only
reason to work out is to lose weight when
there are many reasons to work out.
Weight loss is not why I’m working out.
Will it happen? Maybe. But this is for my
mental health, above all. When I started
working with Massy I found it hard
to push myself to commit to her,
and I cancelled a couple of times.
But she looked at my Instagram
feed, pointed out that I had time to
get my nails and hair done – and
reminded me that fitness was going
to help with the feelings I was
having about my mental health.
[Now I’m exercising] I am sleeping
better and I have so much more
energy than ever before.’
t
PHOTOGRAPHYRAULROMO/ROMO.COMAND INSTAGRAM/@TESSHOLLIDAY‘Weight loss
is not why I’m
working out’