Who is Tess Holliday, Plus Size Model on People Magazine Cover

Ever since she became the first size-22 model to score a major contract with U.K.-based Milk Management, Tess Holliday's name has been all over the news. And it's probably safe to say she's not going anywhere as she just landed the cover of People, on newsstands this Friday. In case you're not quite up to date on the modeling sensation, here's a primer. Her real name is Ryann Hoven: According to Buzzfeed, Holliday was born Ryann Hoven and has also been known as Tess Munster and Tess Typhoon. The mother of one to son Riley, nine, has been using her fiancé Nick Holliday's last name professionally since January. Holliday's big break came from an unlikely source: Though she wasn't a cast member, Holliday was the face of the A&E TV show Heavy. She appeared in nationwide print and billboard ads for the show. Since then she's gone on to model for brands such as Domino Dollhouse and Jessica Louise Clothing. She's also been featured in Vogue Italia. She almost didn't make it in the industry: After being turned away from an audition in Atlanta at 15 for being "too short and too big," Holliday posted photos of herself on Model
Ever since she became the first size-22 model to score a major contract with U.K.-based Milk Management, Tess Holliday's name has been all over the news. And it's probably safe to say she's not going anywhere as she just landed the cover of People, on newsstands this Friday. In case you're not quite up to date on the modeling sensation, here's a primer. Her real name is Ryann Hoven: According to Buzzfeed, Holliday was born Ryann Hoven and has also been known as Tess Munster and Tess Typhoon. The mother of one to son Riley, nine, has been using her fiancé Nick Holliday's last name professionally since January. Holliday's big break came from an unlikely source: Though she wasn't a cast member, Holliday was the face of the A&E TV show Heavy. She appeared in nationwide print and billboard ads for the show. Since then she's gone on to model for brands such as Domino Dollhouse and Jessica Louise Clothing. She's also been featured in Vogue Italia. She almost didn't make it in the industry: After being turned away from an audition in Atlanta at 15 for being too short and too big, Holliday posted photos of herself on Model