PLUS MODEL MAGAZINE March 2015 Issue | Page 102

PLUS SIZE health your personal journey by Leyah Shanks iamleyahshanks.com bodyconfidencerevolution.tumblr.com Tess Munster’s history-writing moment of becoming the first 5’5”, size 22 model to be signed to a major agency is still a huge talking point, and rightly so! What a triumph for diversity, if you ask me! But sadly, not all of the feedback has been positive. People have been losing “it” over the fact that Tess’ signing “glamorises obesity”. *Sigh*. The point that is being made here – in my eyes anyway – is not that “obesity” is “becoming normalised” and that we shouldn’t be “promoting” it, it’s that a major agency signed her, regardless of her current dress size. She is a beautiful woman and represents a large number of fellow females out there. Quite frankly, how “healthy” Tess is, is none of my (or anyone else’s) concern. I’m just happy that she’s happy in her skin as it is right now. As the lady herself put it, “My goal is changing the negative thinking, the prejudice, NOT the person.” She (and I) believe that “everyone’s health is their own journey and their privacy rights should be respected.”