Quotes from Tess Holliday

The societal obsession with appearance is definitely something that weighs on your mind as a model.

I've been asked a lot lately if I had a hard time getting pregnant. I've been asked how I conceived. In the same way everyone else does!

I wanted to become a model out of delusion. It was always something that I wanted to do, I just never thought that I would have the opportunity.

When I describe myself as fat to people, whether it's a driver, anywhere around the world, or a friend, and I'm like, 'Oh, it's just because I'm fat,' people are like, 'Don't say that about yourself.'

It's hard enough to break into my industry when you're my height and my size but adding the tattoos on top of it, there's not many clients that will hire you if you have Miss Piggy tattooed on your arm.

I was bullied from fifth grade on. They started making fun of me because my mom was in a wheelchair, then they started making fun of me because I was poor and then it evolved to my size.

I represent women that you don't see a lot in media and in print.

I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.

I'm not like recruiting people and starting a cult and telling people to be fat.

In the beginning I used to say, 'I'm healthy, my cholesterol's fine, I don't have high blood pressure, I don't have diabetes.' By telling people that you see a doctor, and telling people that you're healthy, it's perpetuating the abuse against bigger bodies and the mindset that we owe it to people to be healthy.

I can live my life, I can be at Disneyland and eat fried chicken, and that's my choice.

Obviously there aren't many opportunities for someone who looks like me to walk in fashion shows. It's incredibly frustrating.

I was raised to believe that sex was shameful, that you should only have sex when you're married. I'm so glad that I didn't listen to that advice.

My only challenges for winter are jackets because I have big arms.

One thing I think constantly is if brands like Gucci can make plus-size menswear, then why can't we see it for women?

I love layers. And I definitely love boots and hats, I have a ridiculous amount.

I'm at the heaviest I've ever been in my life now and it took me being the heaviest to finally love myself.

Why would I want to walk the runway for a brand to be their token plus-size girl when they're not even making my size?

It's refreshing and weird when your kids get older and they're able to tell you how they feel and what they want.

I mean, if people still want to hire my 34-year-old fat butt for campaigns and let me be myself then I'm all for it.

Many companies and publications don't understand what it means to be body positive or what it means to be plus-size. They're just trying to capitalize on the term because it's a hot topic.

When you become an adult and you have a choice of who to have in your life, if someone's hurting you and making you feel bad, then they shouldn't be in your life, even if it's a family member.

Plus-size is a term that's never been used in hate; no one has ever used it in a negative way. The industry has always used it to help us identify where to shop.

You can start with daily affirmations of love to yourself, like, 'I am worthy,' 'I am beautiful,' and 'I am loved.'