Tess Holliday is changing the face of fashion, but she's more than ready for it.
The 29 year old is the first size-22 model to ink a deal with a major agency, and she stopped by the Today show to talk to Savannah Guthrie about what it all means, including the People magazine cover, for her career and her aspirations.
"My phone hasn't stopped ringing," she told the magazine. "It's good, but it's a lot."
But when she first got the call, she couldn't believe it. "I actually thought she had like the wrong number or that it was a joke...my life completely changed," she told Guthrie. "I've learned so much [about the fashion industry]...it's been an incredible past few months."
Holliday, who made her magazine cover debut on People's Body Image issue, told the morning show host that landing an agency deal was always a dream of hers. "I've wanted it to happen for a long time, but I really never thought that it would happen," she dished.
"It was a wildest dreams moment," she added. "It's kind of like winning the lottery."
Now that she has an incredible platform, she has the ability to spread her inspiring message about body image to her fans and followers. "I think it's all about accepting yourself the way you are now and loving who you are today," she says, adding that it's OK to want to improve your well being as long as "you're ok just the way you are today."
Because she is size-22, Guthrie asked Holliday what she tells people who would argue that she might not send a good message about health. To the haters, she would say, "I just ignore them and keep living the dream."
"I think size isn't an indicator of health, she added."
As for what motivates her? She said great "support" from her mom and even "delusion" got her to where she is today.
"Life could be better if I just put myself out there and really believing in myself," she said.
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