Tess Holliday apologises after saying: 'Black men love me'

The plus size model was shooting a spread for the Guardian

Tess Holliday has been held up as a role model

Plus size model Tess Holliday has been forced to apologise after claiming in a recent interview that “black men love me,” prompting widespread criticism.

The US model, who recently appeared in a Guardian weekend magazine spread, told crew members during the shoot: “I do admit that black men love me. I always forget that, and then I come to a black neighbourhood and I remember.”

In response to criticism online and on social media, Holliday, 29, posted an apology on Facebook earlier this week.

The size 24 model apologised for “any hurt that my flippant comment has caused,” adding that she was taking part in an underwear shoot outside when an “older black man cat called [sic] me”.

Holliday relayed the incident to the assembled crew “jokingly telling them some semblance of what appeared in print.

“It was also meant to play into the idea that black men like bigger women, but the humour of that doesn't come through,” she says.

The original Guardian piece reports an awkward silence followed the plus size model’s remarks. A silence that Holliday claims was not present: “To further add context, the team included two talented black women - so it was clearly not something intended to cause offence.”

On social media the model's comments have not gone down well.

Holliday admits although she is “not a perfect human being,” she is “doing my best to live up” to the standards of a role model.

She has been widely celebrated as one of the most successful ‘Plus size’ models and has a cult social media following, as well as contracts with mainstream model agencies.