Jordan Peterson Defies Criticism of Tweet Calling Plus-Size Sports Illustrated Model 'Not Beautiful'

In May, the controversial psychologist slammed Sports Illustrated’s decision to feature a plus-size model on its cover. "Sorry, not beautiful," he tweeted at the time - only to face a massive backlash and exit Twitter shortly after.

Psychologist-turned-YouTuber Jordan Peterson has not changed his mind concerning his controversial May tweet about a plus-sized model featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, saying that it was neither a mistake nor the reason for his Twitter departure.

In an e-mail to The Telegraph, Peterson claimed that the magazine's decision to use the model was "manipulative economically and in relation to the model herself."

"Beauty is an ideal. Almost all of us fall short of an ideal. I am not willing to sacrifice any ideal to faux compassion. Period. And certainly not the ideal of athletic beauty," he wrote.

In May, Peterson quote-tweeted a story from The New York Post regarding the plus-size model, adding that she was "not beautiful. And no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that."

His exit from Twitter, however, did not last for long. He quickly returned back to the platform, and even got suspended this week. Twitter deemed that Peterson's latest tweet responding to an article concerning actor Elliot Page who shared his pride in introducing a trans character into the show 'The Umbrella Academy' violated its rules regarding hateful material.

“I penned an irritated tweet in response to one of the latest happenings on the increasingly heated culture war front,” Peterson explained to the National Post in relation to the suspension.

He, however, refused to apologize and said he would "rather die" that delete the tweet in question.