SHE IS big, bold and proud of her body — but not everyone thinks American plus-size model, Tess Holliday, should be “applauded” for her size 22 frame.

Australian fitness guru Ashy Bines, who runs the successful transformation program known as the Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge, took to social media saying the fuller-figured Holliday was not a “good role model for young girls” and wasn’t a “healthy body image that should be applauded”.

But Bines, who has more than 646,000 followers on Instagram and more than a million supporters on Facebook, controversially compared the image of Holliday to that of an underweight runway model, saying neither frames were “healthy”.

It is unclear whether Bines knew that the underweight model was in fact Ana Carolina Reston, who died in 2006 of kidney failure, after reportedly living on a diet of apples and tomatoes.

At the time of her death, the 21-year-old Brazilian fashion model, who was 1.73m tall, weighed just 38kg.

Bines tells her followers there is “no perfect body and no two bodies are the same” but she hoped girls would find other role models to “help them achieve a healthy lifestyle”.

The 27-year-old Gold Coast fitness influencer, said that thin girls were slammed “A LOT” these days compared to larger women.

“The girl on the left is obviously underweight — yes she maybe genetically small but it's pretty obvious she is not healthy and has not been eating a well balanced diet,” Bines wrote in her post.

“[She] would be on 500 or less calories a day to achieve her body — nor is she a good role model for young women.

“The girl on the right [Holliday] I've seen in recent articles and apparently is an ‘inspiration’ to the younger generation — I also think she is not a good role model for young girls.

“I just think it's sad that women who are obviously eating a lot more than what they need and not moving their bodies to be fit, strong and healthy are getting praise.”

Bines seemed to acknowledge that her Instagram post was controversial. “Anyone who attacks me or calls me horrible names, you will be blocked,” she wrote.

The post has had more than 1500 comments, mostly positive, and it has received more than 9000 likes on Instagram.

She did praise Holliday for her confidence in a swimsuit, but raised concern over her idea of “health”.

“I think it's FANTASTIC she feels comfortable but at the same time I don't think it's a healthy body image that should be applauded,” she wrote.

“I'm not saying either are ‘ugly or ANYTHING like that,’ just don't think either are healthy role models and shouldn’t be given praise.”

This isn’t the first time the plus-size model has received criticism for glorifying an ‘unhealthy lifestyle’.

Hypnotherapist Steve Miller, who claims to be the ‘Simon Cowell of the slimming world,’ slammed the 30-year-old model in 2015, claiming her figure was “dangerous” and that it’s “ludicrous” if she believes fat is gorgeous.

“The last thing we want to see is a plus-size American barging into UK shores showing us how it’s cool to eat junk, eat huge portions and love your fat,” Mr Miller told the Daily Mail.

“Tess challenges the fashion industry’s preconceived idea of beauty and believes you can be gorgeous and fat which is ludicrous because fat isn’t great — it’s dangerous.”

Holliday, who is six-months pregnant with her second child, rose to fame in 2013 as a body positive activist and spearhead behind the #effyourbeautystandards movement on Instagram. In 2013, she was named by Vogue Italia as one of the top six plus-size models in the world. Two years later, Milk Model Management signed Holliday, making her the largest plus-size model to be part of a mainstream modelling agency. That same year, Holliday was featured on the cover of People magazine’s body issue, and featuring as a model in H&M’s sustainable fashion campaign.

With more than a million followers on Instagram alone, Holliday has used her platform to speak out against fat-shaming in the fashion industry.

“I’ve been called fat my whole life,” she said in an interview with the Guardian. “I am fat, so it’s kind of silly to get mad about it.

“To the people that fight on my social media: I don’t give a f**k. Get a therapist, phone a psychic or eat a f**kin’ burger... grow up.”

Bines has declined to comment.

News.com.au has approached Tess Holliday for comment.