We really, really want to give Tess Holliday a big hug right now.
The plus-size model and lifestyle guru has an 8-month-old son, Bowie (who's teething), and she is completely exhausted. A brutally candid Instagram post she wrote on Monday has gone viral — and we can really understand why. Our hearts kind of broke a little seeing it.
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Holliday wrote, "This is the reality of being a mom. I've been up since 3 am, & every time I get Bowie to sleep & try to lay him down, he wakes up. He is teething & has no clue I have to work today, & most days I can work 15 hour days, take care of both boys & put some lipstick on & deal with it. Most days I drink my coffee & smile at every little thing he does thinking it's the best thing in the world, but not today. I've been crying for nearly two hours, & I'm crying as I write this. I've reached my limit, exceeded it to be honest."
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Holliday was People's first size 22 model and is an outspoken advocate for all-size beauty. We know she's one tough cookie — who's cultivated very thick skin to deal with idiot body-shamers — but we really appreciate her sharing her vulnerability when it comes to motherhood. Her raw, honest voice is important for other moms to hear, and that tearful face in the mirror is one we all recognize, for sure. Those baby days (especially the teething) are no joke.
Holliday also wrote about motherhood taking a toll on her self-esteem, saying, "My confidence has taken a blow with this birth & it wasn't until this morning I realized why. The pressure of "looking good" for a living is too much today. When your face is breaking out from the hormones of breastfeeding + total exhaustion from lack of sleep, bags under your eyes, patchy red skin & to top it off no energy to work out or leave my bed.. how do you do it? How do you feel confident in your skin & feel like you aren't letting the client down by showing up exhausted & disheveled? Yes, I chose a career based on my looks & I'm the first one to say that beauty isn't what should drive you, it's certainly not what motivates me. As a working mom in an industry that's as critical as mine, where is the line? The balance? The compassion? Is any career understanding when you show up at negative 10% because your kids wouldn't let you sleep & you want to hide under your covers & cry? Not many. I hope one day that changes & society views mothers as the flawed human beings we are that are just trying to keep our shit together like everyone else. #effyourbeautystandards #workingmoms #disruptperfectmomsyndrome"
It's rare to find a mom in the public eye willing to talk about the realities of parenting and the impossibility of combining kids and career without rough patches that make you wonder why the hell you ever thought you could pull this off. So we hear you, Tess, loud and clear, and we appreciate the no-BS reality.