Lifestyle Health Celebrity Health Tess Holliday Shares She's 'Anorexic and in Recovery': 'I'm Not Ashamed to Say It Out Loud Anymore' The model and body activist spoke out after becoming frustrated with people for commenting on her weight By Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 3, 2021 11:32AM EDT Comments Photo: David Fisher/Shutterstock Tess Holliday shared that she's "anorexic and in recovery" after years of struggling with her relationship with her body. The model and body activist, 35, said that her eating disorder is "the result of a culture that celebrates thinness and equates that to worth." "I'm anorexic and in recovery. I'm not ashamed to say it out loud anymore," Holliday posted on Twitter. "I'm the result of a culture that celebrates thinness and equates that to worth, but I get to write my own narrative now. I'm finally able to care for a body that I've punished my entire life and I am finally free." Holliday decided to speak out about her eating disorder after receiving multiple comments about her weight. "To everyone that keeps saying 'you're looking healthy lately' or 'You are losing weight, keep it up!' Stop," she wrote on Instagram. "Don't. Comment. On. My. Weight. Or. Perceived. Health. Keep. It. To. Yourself. Thanks✌🏻" The mom of two said that she has lost weight — "I'm healing from an eating disorder and feeding my body regularly for the first time in my entire life." But she explained that her changing size is not something people should be commenting on. Tess Holliday Calls Out the 'Double Standard' of the Strawberry Dress Going Viral on Thin Bodies "When you equate weight loss with 'health' and place value and worth on someone's size, you are basically saying that we are more valuable now because we are smaller & perpetuating diet culture… and that's corny as hell," Holliday said. "For folks like me that are trying to reframe our relationships with our bodies and heal, hearing comments about weight is triggering as hell," she continued. "It sets us back in our progress — and when people working on themselves see you commenting to me that way, it hurts THEM, not just me. I can take it (I shouldn't have to, but I can) but they didn't ask for that trauma, ok?" Holliday ended her post by telling people that "if you can't tell someone they look nice without making it about their size, then baby, please don't say nuthin at all." RELATED VIDEO: Tess Holliday: 'I Actually Enjoy Working Out' — But I Don't 'Have to Prove Anything to Anybody' Her social media posts received tons of positive and supportive comments, but Holliday also dealt with people who questioned her eating disorder. "Not the 'but your fat how are you anorexic' comments. Y'all don't know how science & body works huh. My technical diagnosis is anorexia nervosa and yes, I'm still not ashamed," she tweeted. "I'm too damn happy for y'all to even come close to dimming my shine." Tess Holliday Says She Gets Daily Messages Telling Her to 'Drop Dead' Because of Her Weight And others said she that she "can't possibly love" herself, but Holliday quickly corrected them. "To everyone saying that I can't possibly love myself and have an eating disorder, that is the actual definition of loving myself," she said. "Being able to prioritize myself & to be in recovery. I'm more self-aware than any of my critics but you know, y'all go off." If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.