Tess Holliday's comments about being loved by black men were completely taken out of context - at least, that's what she said.
During a recent interview with The Guardian, the 29-year-old plus-size model was quoted making an insensitive comment about African-American men, telling the publication, "I do admit that black men love me. I always forget that, and then I come to a black neighborhood and I remember."
As expected, Holliday's comments received major backlash, with many social media users calling her statement racist. Holliday took to Facebook to explain the context of her comments.
"Firstly, I apologize for any hurt that my flippant comment has caused. I'll try to provide some context which hopefully will change the way in which it is being viewed, but I have to also accept that being followed and quoted is something new for me and I am going to occasionally say or do things that make people unhappy," she wrote on Facebook. "For that I am sorry, your opinions are important to me."
The Mississippi-born former receptionist also explained that the question was posed to her during a photo shoot where she admitted to feeling "rather exposed" while posing in her underwear on the street. She said during the shoot that an "older black cat" called out to her.
"I replayed the incident to the team once we were set up for the next shot, and jokingly said some semblance of what appeared in print. It was in relation to being cat called by black men significantly more than by white, but perhaps my tone and wording didn't convey this clearly," Holliday shared. "It was also meant to play into the idea that black men like bigger women, but the humor of that doesn't come through. To further add context, the team included two talented black women - so it was clearly not something intended to cause offense."
Holliday concluded her letter by admitting that she is "not a perfect human being" and was "still growing and learning."
"The title of 'role model' is not one that I have chosen - it was thrust onto me, despite my reluctance. I am doing my best to live up to what that means, but at times I will slip up. I don't speak for everyone, but I will continue to try my best to speak UP for everyone," Holiday wrote.
