Ryann Maegen Hoven popularly known as Tess Holliday (formerly Tess Hunter), is an American plus-sized model, blogger and make-up artist.
She has appeared in several magazines such as Vogue Italia, People and has worked with top brands like Benefit Cosmetics, and David LaChapelle.
| Tess Holliday | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Also Known As: | Tess Hunter |
| Date of Birth: | July 5, 1985 |
| Place of Birth: | Laurel, Mississippi, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Plus-size model, Make-up artist |
| Agency: | Mavrick Artists Agency, Milk Model Management |
| Parents: | Beth Hoven, Doug Hoven |
| Partner: | Nick Holliday (m. 2015, div. 2020) |
| Children: | Bowie Juniper Holliday, Rylee Holliday |
| Height: | 5 feet 5 in |
| Weight: | 127 kg |
| Net Worth: | $3 million |
Early Life
Tess Holliday was born on July 5, 1985, in Laurel, Mississippi, United States. She resides in Los Angeles. Her father and her mother were no longer together by the time she was 10.
However, her mother became paralyzed and disabled after she was shot twice in the head by her fiance, who was charged with attempted murder. She and her brother moved to their grandparents’ house in Mississippi as their mother recovered.
She left school at the age of 17 and obtained her GED. She was bullied in fifth grade for her weight and pale skin and also alleged verbal abuse about her size by her father.
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Career
Tess Holliday became a US size 16 and 5 feet 3 inches tall at the age of 15. She auditioned at a casting call for plus models in Atlanta, Georgia and was told she would be lucky to do print advertisements or catalogue work as she was too short and big.
As time goes by, she moved to Seattle and stayed for toe years where she worked as a makeup artist and creative director at fashion shows. She later moved back to Mississippi and gave birth to her son at the age of 20. She returned to Seattle where she had some pictures taken for her then-boyfriend and posted them on Model Mayhem in October 2009 before she moved to Los Angeles in 2010.
She began to gain her confidence after moving to Los Angeles in 2010. She started working as a receptionist at Los Angeles dental office and then she became a professional model in 2011.
Holliday was accepted into the ‘House of Dreams model search’ by Torrid and was also chosen to be the face of the documentary television series Heavy by A&E, after being discovered online. She became the face of the television show in June 2011 and was also on an advert that ran on billboards across the country.
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Tess has featured on ‘fatshion’ blogs, models accessories and plus size clothings. She has appeared in Nylon magazine, Vogue Italia, People and has worked with the likes of Benefit Cosmetics, and David LaChapelle.
Holliday quit her model day job at the dental office in 2014 in other to focus on her modelling career and in January 2015, the London-based modelling agency had announced that they had signed Holliday to their plus-size division, Curves. They made it known that Holliday had become the largest plus-size model of her size and height to be signed to a mainstream modelling agency and the first curve model above size 20
Holliday featured in H&M’s fashion campaign alongside Daniel Lismore, Karley Sciortino and Pardeep Singh Bahra, in September 2015. She also starred in Addition Elle’s fall 2015 capsule collection campaign and also confirmed she was in the process of designing her clothing line.
The Canadian plus-size retailer Penningtons announced that the brand has partnered with Holliday in January 2016, to release a capsule collection bearing her name under mblm label.
Personal Life
Holliday had her son Rylee at the age of 20 and in June 2015 The Guardian reported she no longer had any contact with the father of her child.
She met Australian businessman, photographer and artist, Nick Holliday on Tumblr in 2012. They chatted online for a few months before she eventually went to the U.S for a visit and they later got engaged. They wedded secretly. She announced her pregnancy in January 2016 and gave birth to her second son in June 2016.
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Holliday was born Ryann Hoven and changed her name to Tess Munster for her love for the television sitcom The Munsters. She began doing alternative modelling and adopted the name Tess Typhoon before she started using her fiance’s surname in January 2015.
Net Worth
Tess Holliday earns from her career as a plus-size model. She also makes money as a brand influencer. She has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
Social Media
Tess Holliday is very active on social media platforms. She has over 2.4 million followers on Instagram @tessholliday and more than 90k followers on Twitter @Tess_Holliday
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some frequently asked questions about Tess Holliday:
Tess Holliday is an American plus-size model, blogger, and make-up artist.
Tess Holliday was born on July 5, 1985.
Tess Holliday was married to Nick Holliday in 2015 and separated in 2020.
Tess Holliday has a height of 5 feet 5 inches.
Tess Holliday has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
