Last week, Fenty Beauty posted a promotional image of plus-size model Tess Holliday wearing Fenty makeup to its Instagram account.
Following a barrage of negative comments about Holliday's past — including a racially charged statement that Holliday has apologized for — the photo was deleted.
In addition to the now-deleted photo on Fenty's Instagram page, Holliday shot an Instagram Story for the brand with its lead makeup artist, Priscilla Ono.
Revelist could not obtain screenshots of the photo on Fenty's Instagram page, but the above IG Story screenshot was posted by Twitter user @BtsAreQings27.
Several individuals confirmed to Revelist that Fenty posted and deleted a headshot of Holliday wearing the brand's new red lipstick, Stunna.
In a video posted Dec. 1, YouTuber Corissa Enneking (aka FatGirlFlow) also spoke about Holliday's deleted photo and the backlash from "haters."
According to sources who saw the post, Fenty commenters complained that Holliday had made a racist remark in the press and "scammed" people out of money in a 2014 T-shirt sale.
The statement they were referring to comes from a 2015 interview with The Guardian, in which Holliday told a journalist, "I do admit that Black men love me. I always forget that, and then I come to a Black neighborhood and I remember."
After the interview went viral, the model made a lengthy apology, which can still be read here, and ever since has often used her social media platform to raise awareness of racism and issues that affect people of color.
The T-shirt controversy goes back to 2014, when Holliday's social brand, Eff Your Beauty Standards, reportedly failed to fill the T-shirt orders of 140 paying customers.
The situation was heightened even further after Holliday, whose mother survived being shot in the head by an abusive partner, was unable to follow through on her promise to donate a portion of the T-shirt sales to a domestic violence charity. She issued an apology in PEOPLE magazine and said that she'd instead be volunteering her time at a local women's shelter.
Traces of Fenty's swiftly deleted Instagram post are scant, with some supporting Holliday...
...and others throwing nasty remarks.
One thing is for sure — we need more plus-size models in beauty campaigns, especially plus-size models over a size 14/16.
As reported by Digiday, the one-size-fits-all beauty industry has been slow to hire plus-size models and offer representation for beauty of all sizes and shapes.
Fenty is on the right track to change that: All of its promotional content has been tremendous and industry-shaking in terms of representation and diversity. In its debut campaign, the brand featured plus-size model Paloma Elsesser (pictured below) among an inclusive cast.
The brand has every right to disassociate itself with people who don't align with its values, but if Holliday and Fenty are no longer working together, we hope the company will seek out other larger plus-size models for its campaigns, commercials, and social feeds.
No doubt: A shout-out from Rihanna's beauty brand could catapult the career of any up-and-coming model in the rarely-seen size 20 and up category.
Revelist reached out to Tess Holliday and Fenty Beauty for comment on this story. We will update this post if we hear back from either party.
