Fat Positive Influencer Is Mad About GLP-1s Causing ‘Lack Of Diversity’

February 16, 2026 by Gio Silva

Plus-size model and body positivity advocate Tess Holliday recently lamented how weight loss treatments are impacting the fat acceptance movement. The influencer, known for promoting body positivity at any size, has found herself in an ironic position as she discusses GLP-1s while simultaneously celebrating her own weight loss.

In a recent social media post, Holliday argued that society’s focus on thinness has existed for decades, citing various diet pills, fitness machines, and weight loss programs throughout history. However, she acknowledged a crucial difference: GLP-1s are significantly more effective than previous weight loss methods.

“The thing, the difference between diet pills and GLP-1s is that GLP-1s are far more effective,” she explained, noting that these medications work by reducing appetite and food intake.

The controversy deepened when Holliday posted about her own physical changes, mentioning that her body had been “changing” and that she had “lost a little bit of weight.” In one video, she appeared excited that her stomach no longer rests on her legs when sitting down, a shift she attributed to weight loss.

Fitness coach and commentator Ilona, who reviewed Holliday’s content, pointed out the contradiction. “She’s sitting there being like what, sort of 500 lbs, not being able to fix herself really. So I agree with what she’s saying, but she’s not healing because she wears her sickness on her body,” Ilona observed.

Holliday has long promoted the idea that people should embrace their bodies regardless of size, often stating that “being yourself is such a radical act.” She has questioned why anyone would want to conform to societal beauty standards, asking, “Why do you want to look like everyone else? That’s so freaking boring.”

Yet critics argue that choosing to lose weight isn’t about conformity but rather about health and quality of life. The widespread effectiveness of GLP-1s has made weight loss more accessible to those who previously struggled, potentially reducing the size of the fat acceptance community.

Fat Positive Influencer Is Mad About GLP-1s Causing ‘Lack Of Diversity’

February 16, 2026

Plus-size model and body positivity advocate Tess Holliday recently lamented how weight loss treatments are impacting the fat acceptance movement. The influencer, known for promoting body positivity at any size, has found herself in an ironic position as she discusses GLP-1s while simultaneously celebrating her own weight loss.

In a recent social media post, Holliday argued that society’s focus on thinness has existed for decades, citing various diet pills, fitness machines, and weight loss programs throughout history. However, she acknowledged a crucial difference: GLP-1s are significantly more effective than previous weight loss methods.

“The thing, the difference between diet pills and GLP-1s is that GLP-1s are far more effective,” she explained, noting that these medications work by reducing appetite and food intake.

The controversy deepened when Holliday posted about her own physical changes, mentioning that her body had been “changing” and that she had “lost a little bit of weight.” In one video, she appeared excited that her stomach no longer rests on her legs when sitting down, a shift she attributed to weight loss.

Fitness coach and commentator Ilona, who reviewed Holliday’s content, pointed out the contradiction. “She’s sitting there being like what, sort of 500 lbs, not being able to fix herself really. So I agree with what she’s saying, but she’s not healing because she wears her sickness on her body,” Ilona observed.

Holliday has long promoted the idea that people should embrace their bodies regardless of size, often stating that “being yourself is such a radical act.” She has questioned why anyone would want to conform to societal beauty standards, asking, “Why do you want to look like everyone else? That’s so freaking boring.”

Yet critics argue that choosing to lose weight isn’t about conformity but rather about health and quality of life. The widespread effectiveness of GLP-1s has made weight loss more accessible to those who previously struggled, potentially reducing the size of the fat acceptance community.

While she was alive, Virginia Giuffre Publicly Challenged Joe Rogan for Featuring Epstein’s Ex-Chef

February 15, 2026

In May 2020, Virginia Giuffre took to Twitter with a question for podcast host Joe Rogan. The survivor, who would later pass away in 2024, publicly challenged the popular commentator about his interview with Adam Perry Lang, Jeffrey Epstein’s former personal chef.

Her message was direct: why hadn’t Rogan pressed Lang about what he witnessed on Epstein’s private island?

“Ask your mate @joerogan why he didn’t ask Adam Perry Lang, Epstein’s former chef, who knew about the underage sex op, witnessed it and served plates to the participants,” Giuffre wrote. “I know. I was there.”

The tweet referenced Lang’s appearance on Rogan’s platform, where the chef, who later became renowned for his barbecue expertise, discussed his culinary career. According to Giuffre’s memoir, Lang worked for Epstein in the early 2000s, preparing the healthy cuisine his employer demanded: tofu, fish kabobs, and hummus.

In her memoir “Nobody’s Girl,” Giuffre described the kitchen on Epstein’s Caribbean island as one of her preferred spaces, largely because of how Lang treated her. She wrote that he looked her in the eye and spoke to her with basic human dignity, even when Epstein required the young women to remain unclothed around the property.

Giuffre’s account also revealed how even the smallest parts of daily life were tightly controlled inside Epstein’s world. Food, in particular, became a tool of domination. The young women were expected to maintain specific appearances that pleased Epstein, with Ghislaine Maxwell enforcing those standards aggressively.

Maxwell monitored what the girls ate and treated their bodies as something to be managed.

In that environment, even ordinary comforts became acts of quiet rebellion. Giuffre recalled moments when Lang would secretly prepare food that was forbidden under Maxwell’s rigid oversight. After she had finished attending to Epstein, Lang would sometimes have pizza waiting for her, even offering her a beer alongside it.

“Everyone knew what a stern taskmaster she was when it came to menus and household routines,” Giuffre wrote about Ghislaine Maxwell, who managed Epstein’s properties. Despite Maxwell’s oversight, these small acts of kindness in the kitchen represented moments of autonomy for Giuffre.

PhD Students In China Can Graduate With Creating A Product Instead Of Thesis

February 15, 2026

In a laboratory at Harbin Institute of Technology this past September, Wei Lianfeng stood before a panel of industry experts to defend his doctoral work. But there was no hundred-page thesis on the table.

Instead, the engineer-turned-doctoral candidate presented the vacuum laser welding equipment he had designed and manufactured, along with documentation of the processes he had developed. When the defense concluded, Wei became the university’s first PhD student to earn his degree based entirely on practical results rather than academic writing.

Since 2022, China has been implementing a nationwide pilot program that fundamentally reimagines how engineering doctorates are earned. Backed by the Ministry of Education and eight other government agencies, the initiative specifically targets fields where theoretical knowledge alone proves insufficient, from semiconductors to quantum computing.

According to SCMP, the program aims to address what officials describe as engineering “bottleneck” problems as technological competition with the United States intensifies. For Wei and students like him, being a scientist in contemporary China no longer centers primarily on publishing in prestigious journals. The emphasis has shifted toward building functional solutions to concrete problems, particularly those affecting national technological capabilities.

To evaluate whether Wei’s practical work met doctoral standards, HIT assembled a panel composed of experts from industry rather than relying solely on academic faculty. This approach acknowledges that conventional peer review, while valuable for theoretical contributions, may not adequately assess whether an engineering innovation actually works in real-world applications.

The policy change arrives at a moment when traditional doctoral assessment faces increasing scrutiny worldwide. Academic credentials have long carried inherent authority, with the PhD representing mastery of research methodology and contribution to human knowledge. Yet recent controversies have highlighted how quality control in doctoral programs sometimes falls short of these ideals.

The fitness industry recently witnessed one such controversy when exercise science researcher Solomon Nelson published a detailed review of a 12-year-old doctoral dissertation by Dr. Mike Israetel. His analysis identified statistical impossibilities and methodological concerns in a thesis retrieved from an official university repository.

When defenders of the thesis author initially claimed Nelson had reviewed an incorrect draft rather than the final version, Israetel later confirmed the repository document was indeed accurate. The incident revealed that the officially archived dissertation contained errors that had gone unaddressed for over a decade.

Such cases raise questions about what a PhD actually certifies. Traditional doctoral programs require candidates to demonstrate research competency through written dissertations that undergo committee review.

In theory, this process ensures graduates possess both subject expertise and methodological rigor. In practice, quality varies dramatically. Some programs maintain exacting standards while others, whether through institutional pressures or inadequate oversight, allow seriously flawed work to pass.

Rather than assessing whether a candidate can write convincingly about research, China’s program judges whether they can produce something that functions. For fields where practical application matters more than theoretical contribution, this distinction proves meaningful.

The program covers strategically important areas where China seeks technological self-sufficiency. US-led restrictions on advanced technology exports have made domestic innovation capacity a national priority. In semiconductors, quantum computing, and related fields, China cannot rely on imported knowledge and must develop its own expertise. Training doctoral students to solve concrete engineering problems rather than primarily produce academic papers aligns education with these strategic needs.

The Harbin Institute of Technology, one of China’s premier defense-related universities, was selected to pilot the program precisely because its research directly serves national security objectives. The university’s engineering programs focus on aerospace, robotics, and advanced manufacturing where practical capability matters more than citation counts.

By inviting industry experts to evaluate Wei’s defense, HIT acknowledged that academic faculty may not possess the knowledge needed to judge whether an engineering innovation actually works. University professors excel at assessing theoretical contributions and research methodology. But determining whether a new manufacturing process will function reliably in production often requires practical experience that academics lack.

$100M Factory Burned Down Over $50 Debt to Workers

February 15, 2026

A recent social media post has ignited debate about labor conditions in China after a worker claimed to have set fire to a factory warehouse over unpaid wages.

According to sources, the individual stated he had agreed to a daily wage of 400 yuan but was denied payment after working five days at a facility in Tianjo Fuen. Left without money for food or transportation before the new year, he allegedly used a lighter to ignite the warehouse.

The post claimed the fire destroyed approximately 40,000 square meters of warehouse space, resulting in economic losses estimated at 4 billion yuan, roughly equivalent to $100 million. However, verification of these claims remains challenging.

Local residents reported that a fire did occur on February 12th in the region, but at a scrap recycling station where approximately 10 tons of waste paper and 1,700 boxes of beer bottles burned.

A Chinese affairs expert noted the difficulty in confirming such incidents, pointing out that authorities frequently suppress information about labor disputes.

The most notorious case involved a 27-year-old employee named Wen, nicknamed “Brother 800” by internet users. In May 2025, after being denied 800 yuan in wages, Wen set fire to the Sutran Jingyu textile company.

The blaze lasted 37 hours and caused tens of millions of yuan in damage. Before the incident, Brother 800 reportedly argued with management and threatened, “My life doesn’t matter, but I want you, the factory manager, to perish.”

These incidents have sparked national conversations about labor rights and legal protection. One commenter observed, “When wage earners seek legal help, the judges disappear. The labor department people are missing. But once Mr. Wen set fire to the factory, the police showed up and the judges appeared.”

Another internet user stated, “Before the fire, he searched everywhere for the law, but couldn’t find it. After the fire, the law searched everywhere for him.”

The problem has intensified as China’s economy continues struggling. Since early 2026, workers across the country have protested unpaid wages.

On February 4th, workers at Yale Exploration Shenzhen Company demonstrated after months of delayed payments. Security guards holding riot shields blocked their access. On February 8th, employees from multiple companies in Shanxi, Guangdong, and Sichuan demanded overdue compensation.

Videos from February 10th showed migrant workers in Sichuan kneeling and begging for their wages. In Weinan, Shanxi, workers blocked roads in protest. Authorities have responded by coining the term “malicious wage demands” and deploying armed police against demonstrators.

State media recently highlighted a judge who took five years to recover 700 yuan for a 71-year-old man. Internet users responded sarcastically: “Five years for 700 yuan, that’s unique in the world.”

The labor crisis extends beyond unpaid wages. With over 200 million gig workers in China, many people survive through odd jobs. At the Maochiawo labor market in Beijing, thousands gather daily seeking temporary work, but fewer than one in ten find employment. Some have resorted to selling personal information or even blood plasma for several hundred yuan per donation.

Medical commentator Tongqing Yuan warned about health risks associated with repeated donations without proper recovery periods, comparing the situation to Henan province’s 1990s blood plasma economy that led to widespread HIV infections.

US economist Li Hongqing commented, “So many businesses are closing. Foreign investment is leaving China all because the top leader Xi Jinping insists on eliminating all competitors. But in the end, it’s the Chinese people who are getting crushed.”

Tiktoker’s Company Accused Of Artificially Inflating Their Evaluation To Close To A Billion

February 15, 2026

Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed TikToker with over 160 million followers, recently made headlines for a $975 million deal that has left financial analysts and industry observers questioning how the numbers add up.

The transaction involved Rich Sparkle Holdings, a Hong Kong-based public company, acquiring Lame’s brand management company in an all-stock deal that sent the firm’s valuation soaring from $50 million to over $16 billion on paper before crashing back down.

The deal’s structure has raised significant concerns among securities experts. Forbes has already stated they won’t count Lame as a billionaire from this transaction because the value exists only on paper, not as accessible cash.

One securities attorney described the situation as “very suspect,” while another analyst compared the stock chart patterns to pump and dump schemes they’ve observed in the past.

Rich Sparkle Holdings presents a particularly unusual profile for such a major acquisition. The company only went public last summer, was valued at approximately $50 million at IPO, and reportedly made less than $6 million in revenue during 2024.

Their primary business? Printing financial documents. Following the announcement of the Lame deal, Rich Sparkle’s stock price jumped more than 650 percent, briefly trading above $180 per share.

However, analysts noted that only a small number of shares were actively trading, meaning even minor transactions could dramatically move the price.

The valuation has since collapsed, with shares plummeting from around $180 to approximately $40. This volatility, combined with the thin trading volume, has prompted scrutiny from market observers who question whether the deal’s announcement was designed to attract retail investors rather than reflect genuine business value.

Adding to the complexity, a third company called Three Sheep Group will actually operate Lame’s commercial business for the next three years. Three Sheep, led by influencer Crazy Little Brother Yang, is one of China’s largest online viewing commerce operators.

However, they’ve faced regulatory challenges, including a $10 million fine from Chinese authorities for misleading marketing practices and a temporary suspension of operations.

The business plan centers on transforming Lame from a traditional influencer into an AI-powered sales platform. The strategy involves creating a digital twin of Lame that can conduct online shopping sessions around the clock in multiple languages.

While AI salespeople have proven successful in China’s booming online commerce market, which is projected to reach $672 billion, the model remains untested in Western markets.

Former SEC investigators have noted that Rich Sparkle announced the deal as closed before filing all standard regulatory paperwork, which is unusual for a transaction of this magnitude. The lack of transparency regarding revenue projections, product timelines, and operational oversight has further fueled skepticism about the deal’s legitimacy and long-term viability.

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