Plus-Size Model Tess Holliday Makes Splash On Malibu Beach In Colorful Swimsuit

Plus-size model Tess Holliday hit the beach in Malibu, Calif., sporting a floral swimsuit on July 16.

Holliday, who is 5’3” and a size 22, has been a vocal advocate for diversity when it comes to showcasing different body types in the fashion industry — and the 34-year-old model puts her money where her mouth is. 

“I choose to wear designers and clothes from people that I like what they're doing — because if you're not supporting people like that, then they're not gonna be around,” she has said. 

Before she got her big break, Holliday was turned away by talent scouts when she was a teen. “I got rejected because of my height and my weight,” she has said, revealing that the experience “just made me push harder.”

Now that she’s made it, Holliday, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world as she waded through the water, hopes to continue to change how high-end style is marketed to women. “I want to break into high fashion because you have plus-size celebrities, you have the consumers, and yet we’re not seeing a reflection of that reality,” she has said. “Even broaching the subject can make people get up in arms.”

“I feel like now is the time to shake things up,” Holliday has insisted. “I’d like to be the person who changes things, or at least open doors for others.”

And for the haters out there? “I think it frustrates me that so many people have bought into the idea of what we should look like instead of actually giving a crap about everyone around you,” she has said. “People should mind their own business.”

Still, the mom of two added, she’s incredibly happy. “I feel really fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. And to have gone through everything I have in life. I wouldn't change any of it.”