Even in 2026, some weight-related prejudices remain deeply ingrained. American plus-size model Tess Holliday recently highlighted this by sharing an experience that sparked considerable reaction on TikTok: being denied life insurance because of her weight. Her public statement has reignited the debate surrounding fatphobia and the criteria used in certain industries.<\/p>\n
In a TikTok video<\/a> , Tess Holliday recounts being deemed ineligible for life insurance in the US. With a tone that blends humor and weariness, she explains that she thought she met the required profile: non-smoker, non-drinker, with no known health problems. However, according to her, one factor was enough to tip the scales: her weight.<\/p>\n The model, who is 1.60 meters tall and weighs over 135 kilos, insists that she exercises daily, is not undergoing any medical treatment, and does not suffer from any pre-existing conditions. For her, this situation reflects a broader problem: a still very stereotypical view of bodies in certain sectors related to health and insurance.<\/p>\n This case also brings to light a frequently criticized measure: the body mass index, better known as BMI. Still widely used to assess health risks in the medical and insurance fields, this indicator is now being questioned by many specialists. Several studies emphasize that it fails to take into account essential elements such as physical fitness, muscle mass, lifestyle, and a person's overall health.<\/p>\n Research published in 2024 showed that a large majority of people with obesity reported having experienced judgment, shame, or stigmatization in medical settings. For body positivity activists, the problem is therefore not simply a matter of statistics. It also concerns the way bodies deemed "abnormal" are perceived and the way some institutions automatically associate "high weight" with poor health.<\/p>\n Tess Holliday has long been one of the most prominent figures in the body positivity movement. In 2013, she launched the hashtag #EffYourBeautyStandards to denounce unrealistic beauty standards and encourage a more diverse representation of bodies. More than ten years later, she believes the fight remains just as necessary. In February 2026, she announced the official relaunch of the movement, reminding everyone that many people continue to be treated as if their bodies were a "problem to be fixed."<\/p>\n She regularly speaks out about the discriminatory remarks and behaviors she faces on a daily basis. In 2025, she had already publicly denounced an inappropriate comment from a United Airlines flight attendant suggesting she "lose weight" for her child during a flight.<\/p>\n Tess Holliday's story goes far beyond her personal experience. Refusal of services, intrusive remarks, medical judgments, and unsolicited criticism: many fat people report experiencing these kinds of situations regularly. This case also serves as a reminder of something important: a person's weight does not define their worth, their lifestyle, or their overall health. Bodies are diverse, and every person deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of their appearance.<\/p>\n Finally, it is essential to remember that there is no single right way to live in your body. Some people want to lose weight, others don't, and everyone should be able to make their own choices without facing judgment or discrimination.<\/p>\n Through this new public statement, Tess Holliday ultimately brings to light a question that is still very relevant today: why does physical appearance continue to condition access to certain rights or services?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even in 2026, some weight-related prejudices remain deeply ingrained. American plus-size model Tess Holliday recently highlighted this by...","protected":false},"author":8264,"featured_media":441313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-441311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-grossophobie"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Refusee-par-une-assurance-a-cause-de-son-poids-cette-mannequin-plus-size-denonce-la-_grossophobie_-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Refusee-par-une-assurance-a-cause-de-son-poids-cette-mannequin-plus-size-denonce-la-_grossophobie_-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Refusee-par-une-assurance-a-cause-de-son-poids-cette-mannequin-plus-size-denonce-la-_grossophobie_.jpg","author":{"name":"Ana\u00eblle Gayon","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Agayon-96x96.jpg"},"categories":[{"term_id":6130,"name":"Fatphobia","slug":"grossophobie","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6302,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Fatphobia section of The Body Optimist explains, documents and challenges the discrimination and stigma that fat people face. Its definitions, first-person stories, analysis and practical advice are for people who live with weight bias and for those close to them, with one firm belief: no body justifies mockery, exclusion or unequal treatment, at the doctor\u2019s office, at work or online.<\/p>\n Fatphobia is the discrimination and stigma directed at fat people because of their body size, and it goes far beyond insults. It shows up in particular:<\/p>\n It can also be internalized: you end up judging yourself through the prejudices you\u2019ve absorbed.<\/p>\n Responding starts with refusing to let your body become a topic of conversation you never asked for. A few guidelines:<\/p>\n Formerly known as Ma Grande Taille, our magazine has made fighting weight-based discrimination a pillar of its editorial line. We use the word \u201cfat\u201d without any negative connotation and refuse to make weight loss a condition for respect. Our articles give a voice to the people affected and break down the mechanisms at work rather than stopping at outrage.<\/p>\n It depends on where you live. In many countries, anti-discrimination laws cover grounds such as disability, health status or physical appearance, and weight-based discrimination can sometimes fall under them. A few jurisdictions, such as the state of Michigan and New York City, explicitly ban weight discrimination. Elsewhere, weight is not specifically protected, so check the laws in your country or ask an equality agency or a lawyer.<\/p>\n Body shaming means criticizing or mocking someone\u2019s body, whatever their size or shape. Fatphobia is broader: it is a system of prejudice and discrimination that specifically targets fat people and also limits their access to health care, jobs and equipment that fits their bodies.<\/p>\n Many activists have reclaimed \u201cfat\u201d as a neutral descriptor, just like \u201ctall\u201d or \u201cthin.\u201d \u201cOverweight\u201d and \u201cobese\u201d are medical terms that imply a departure from a norm. What matters most is respecting the words each person chooses to describe themselves.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our Society<\/a> topics, our Feminism<\/a> and LGBTQIA+<\/a> sections, and our Self-confidence<\/a> section.<\/p>","parent":5678,"count":102,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":6130,"category_count":102,"category_description":" The Fatphobia section of The Body Optimist explains, documents and challenges the discrimination and stigma that fat people face. Its definitions, first-person stories, analysis and practical advice are for people who live with weight bias and for those close to them, with one firm belief: no body justifies mockery, exclusion or unequal treatment, at the doctor\u2019s office, at work or online.<\/p>\n Fatphobia is the discrimination and stigma directed at fat people because of their body size, and it goes far beyond insults. It shows up in particular:<\/p>\n It can also be internalized: you end up judging yourself through the prejudices you\u2019ve absorbed.<\/p>\n Responding starts with refusing to let your body become a topic of conversation you never asked for. A few guidelines:<\/p>\n Formerly known as Ma Grande Taille, our magazine has made fighting weight-based discrimination a pillar of its editorial line. We use the word \u201cfat\u201d without any negative connotation and refuse to make weight loss a condition for respect. Our articles give a voice to the people affected and break down the mechanisms at work rather than stopping at outrage.<\/p>\n It depends on where you live. In many countries, anti-discrimination laws cover grounds such as disability, health status or physical appearance, and weight-based discrimination can sometimes fall under them. A few jurisdictions, such as the state of Michigan and New York City, explicitly ban weight discrimination. Elsewhere, weight is not specifically protected, so check the laws in your country or ask an equality agency or a lawyer.<\/p>\n Body shaming means criticizing or mocking someone\u2019s body, whatever their size or shape. Fatphobia is broader: it is a system of prejudice and discrimination that specifically targets fat people and also limits their access to health care, jobs and equipment that fits their bodies.<\/p>\n Many activists have reclaimed \u201cfat\u201d as a neutral descriptor, just like \u201ctall\u201d or \u201cthin.\u201d \u201cOverweight\u201d and \u201cobese\u201d are medical terms that imply a departure from a norm. What matters most is respecting the words each person chooses to describe themselves.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our Society<\/a> topics, our Feminism<\/a> and LGBTQIA+<\/a> sections, and our Self-confidence<\/a> section.<\/p>","cat_name":"Fatphobia","category_nicename":"grossophobie","category_parent":5678}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8264"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441311"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441438,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441311\/revisions\/441438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} The debate surrounding BMI has been reignited.<\/h2>\n
A figure committed for years<\/h2>\n
Behind these testimonies lies a broader reality<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Fatphobia section<\/h2>\n
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How does fatphobia show up?<\/h2>\n
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How can you respond to weight-related comments and discrimination?<\/h2>\n
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Our approach: name it, explain it, support people<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Is fatphobia illegal?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between fatphobia and body shaming?<\/h3>\n
Why say \u201cfat\u201d instead of \u201coverweight\u201d?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Fatphobia section<\/h2>\n
\n
How does fatphobia show up?<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you respond to weight-related comments and discrimination?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: name it, explain it, support people<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Is fatphobia illegal?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between fatphobia and body shaming?<\/h3>\n
Why say \u201cfat\u201d instead of \u201coverweight\u201d?<\/h3>\n