Piers Morgan has called a plus-size model’s appearance on the cover of a magazine “dangerous and misguided”.
The Good Morning Britain host shared a picture of October’s Cosmopolitan, which features American model Tess Holliday, who is a US size 22.
She has been described by People magazine as “The world’s first size 22 supermodel”.
Morgan said: “As Britain battles an ever-worsening obesity crisis, this is the new cover of Cosmo.
“Apparently we’re supposed to view it as a ‘huge step forward for body positivity’. What a load of old baloney.
“This cover is just as dangerous and misguided as celebrating size zero models.”
Holliday, 33, hit back at her critics, calling them “small-minded”.
To everyone saying I’m a burden to the British health care system, I’m american so you don’t have to worry about my fat ass. Worry about what horrible people you are by whining about how me being on the cover of a glossy magazine impacts your small minded life.
— Tess Holliday 🥀 (@Tess_Holliday) August 30, 2018
She tweeted to her 76,000 followers: “To everyone saying I’m a burden to the British health care system, I’m american so you don’t have to worry about my fat ass.
“Worry about what horrible people you are by whining about how me being on the cover of a glossy magazine impacts your small minded life.”
Holliday is the creator of the #effyourbeautystandards Instagram campaign, which she says aims to challenge the belief that overweight people cannot be attractive.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, she said: “I created (the campaign) out of frustration. I was angry and sad that people kept commenting on my pictures saying ‘You’re too fat to wear that!’ or ‘Cover up! No-one wants to see that!’
“And then one night I was lying in bed and thought’F*** that!’ So I posted an image with four photographs of myself wearing things that fat women are often told we ‘can’t wear’, and encouraged others to do the same.”