Ricki-Lee Coulter To Be Dropped from Shapewear Label

May 23, 2012 in Body Image, Celebrity, Entertainment, Film & TV, Fitness, Health, Music

The country is all a-twitter today with the news that Ricki-Lee Coulter is going to be dumped from Big W shapewear label Hold Me Tight. The label themselves have commented that there are “no real plans for us to change at this stage” but a source (don’t you just love an anonymous source? Always sounds just so credible) says otherwise.

From news.com:

“(Ricki-Lee) looks incredible and this has nothing to do with that – she just no longer appeals to the customer they (Hold Me Tight) target,” the source said.

“One of the poster slogans say ‘These curves are a work of art’. Anyone who has seen (Ricki-Lee) lately knows that just isn’t so any more.”

Frankly, I read this and my first reaction was “Oh great, another reason for people to attack Ricki-Lee about her weight loss”. Then after hoping no one would (but I know they will), I thought about it and I came to the conclusion that I think it’s fair enough to no longer continue to use her as a spokesmodel for shapewear. If it’s true.

In any modeling job, you are not selected because you’re a good person, because you’re good at your job, because of your worth as a person, because you’re talented, or because of any reason except what you look like. And they want people who look like (better) versions of their customers, their target market. So what’s the point of putting a size 8 in shape wear that you are trying to market to a size 14+? Customers aren’t stupid, they will look at that and know.

The thing that did make me angry about this story, however, was statements like the above, indicating that just because Ricki-Lee is now a size 8, she no longer has curves. Bollocks. Have you seen her? She may now be a size 8, but she still has curves!

I feel like Ricki-Lee has received a bit of a bum rap about losing weight, because she always said you should be proud of your curves. Because she was proud to be a size 14. Well, I don’t agree with putting her down because she chose to lose weight, and I don’t agree that she has done anything wrong. She has said she was unhealthy at the weight she was, she was not strong and she wasn’t able to perform on stage like she wanted to. So she lost weight, she worked hard, and she became healthy.

You know what? Good on her. She made a health choice for herself, for her own health, for what she wanted. That’s the crux of it. She hasn’t turned around and said you should be ashamed of your body if it’s bigger, she has just said she wasn’t as healthy as she wanted to be. And now she is.

I don’t feel like loving your body means you can’t change it if that’s what your body needs. You can be proud of your body as it is, and still want to be the healthiest you can be (Note: health, not size). I don’t feel like she betrayed anyone by saying she was proud of it as she was, and now saying that it wasn’t as healthy as it could be and now it is, and she feels amazing. I also don’t think comments like “What has she done to herself?!” on twitter when she is on screen for The Voice is very constructive for anyone.

I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, maybe it is discriminatory to drop a model because of their size. Maybe you do feel betrayed that she said she was proud of her body, then worked hard to change it. What do you think?

Do you think it’s fair to drop her from a shapewear label? Do you think she should have lost weight? Do you feel like her losing weight has made her comments about being proud of her body invalid?

Update 23/6 6:20pm: Ricki-Lee has taken to her twitter to knock back reports she is no longer the face of Hold Me Tight and has noted they also have a swimwear range, which she will be in the campaign for come their launch in July.

Image 1 Featured Image

Note: Abusive comments regarding Ricki-Lee, weight loss, or other people’s weight will be removed. Be honest, but do it respectfully.

Author Info

Tamsin Howse has written 177 posts.
Tamsin is a wife, stepmother and blogger with a passion for people and relationships, fashion and beauty, and an inability to successfully complete household tasks. Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of KiKi & Tea.
Follow on twitter: @TamsinHowse
Website: http://kikiandtea.com

8 Comments »

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Whippersnapper

I think the key here is that she said that she wasn’t healthy when she was bigger. She hasn’t said she wasn’t healthy BECAUSE she was bigger.

If she was previously eating shitty food and not exercising and has changed that,that is great. If weight loss happened to be a side effect of that, then so be it.

I’m not sure why she has been dropped from shapewear though. I see plenty of very slim models in shapewear ads. Isn’t shapewear for everyone?
- http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse
  
  Apologies if it read that way, however to my knowledge she has never said she wasn’t healthy because she was bigger, she has said she wasn’t healthy.
  
  In the interview I read, which she tweeted herself (so I therefore believe it was accurate) her main complaint was that she wasn’t able to perform on stage like she wanted to, due to her health, and therefore decided to make the lifestyle change.
  
  I’ve also just updated the post – she has tweeted to advise she has not been dropped from shapewear.
http://kimbalikes.com Kim-Marie

I think on one hand it makes sense that a size 8 person isn’t the right model for a product designed to smooth rolls and bumps. In much the same sense as I don’t like to see anti-ageing skincare advertised on models clearly still in high school. Of course they have dewy fresh, line free skin – they’re still babies!

On the other hand, I know many people of all shapes and sizes who wear shapewear. The newer version of shapewear is more about creating a smooth line under bodycon outfits, not the more traditional view of corsets and girdles to create a waist and make bigger people look thinner.

I also don’t like the implication that “the Australian public” will decry a brand or store because they’re jealous that a former “bigger girl” got thinner and “lied to them”.

Ricki-Lee may be a smaller size but she still has curves. Whether I’m a size 8 or a size 14 (due to my chronic illnesses, I’ve been both over the years), I still have curves.

I’m actually a bit cross about the gradual takeover of the word “curvy”. It now is often a euphemism for “overweight” or “extra large”. I’ve got tall and quite broad girlfriends who are muscular and toned but wear clothes at the bigger end of the normal spectrum (14, size L) just because they have more athletic figures. They don’t have many curves at all, but their size brand is often called “curvy”. One of them was talking about trying to find a party dress the other day – it’s assumed she has big boobs because it’s a “bigger size”. I wear a larger cup size but have a smaller back. Once they get over a DD, many brands start at a back size of 14. Annoying!

I saw an email from a clothing website recently that described its size range as XS, S, M, L, Curvy and Voluptuous. What’s wrong with XL and XXL?

Sorry, a bit of an off topic whinge there! In short, all sorts of shaped and sized women wear shapewear – there are even Man Spanx (Manx?) now! I think it’s better to have a curvy person advertising it and probably a 12-14 sized person would appease more of the general public than a size 8 curvy person.
- http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse
  
  That “curvy” thing pisses me off too. Curvy does not equal large, large does not equal curvy. Look at Kim Kardashian! She is teeny tiny yet would DEFINITELY be considered curvy.
Rose Russo

I love Ricki-Lee but I agree I don’t think she emulates the market they are trying to reach anymore…

Just my opinion as a size 12/14 girl who has bought ‘Hold me tight’ shapewear. I looked at the picture of Ricki-Lee as I was buying them and thought hmmmm..
Sonja van Woerkom

On a side note…how bloody uncomfortable is shape wear? Seriously.
I’m a size 16 (mostly – depending where I shop / if the moon is in the right phase / if I hold my breath at just the right moment)and so I’m tempted to buy it to smooth out all the bumps (not my curves – they’re lovely & shape wear doesn’t hide them!)But then, after spending roughly 10 minutes trying to get the damn thing on, and another ten trying to get whatever it is back off again I wonder why I even bother. I own a “slimming skirt” and when I have it on I can’t breathe and I certainly can’t eat much (yes, it is the right size!)It’s uncomfortable, makes me walk funny and doesn’t really slim me at all. Also, the fiancé thinks I look hot weather I wear it or not.

I think my point is (and, yes, there is one) – why do we buy these things in the first place?

Also, I think Ricki-Lee has always been gorgeous. Yes, I was a little sad when she lost weight, but only because there don’t seem to be that many successful women over a size 8…But I still love her now ( like a love a lot of other slim or gorgeous or talented or funny women)

Ok, rant over!
xx
- http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse
  
  OH MY GOD!! I’m so with you. I bought a tummy sucky in thing for my wedding day, which I didn’t wear, and I hate the way it looks and feels! It’s not Hold Me Tight and it doesn’t look anywhere NEAR as sexy as that pic of Ricki-Lee, it’s more the Bridget Jones kind. And I don’t think it makes me smooth either.
  
  What a waste of money that was. I’ve never worn it.
Valentina B

I don’t really know where I stand on the issue. Everyday I’m targeted things that are being advertised by people who don’t represent me at all. Women’s clothing on runways modeled by 16 year olds who have no curves and are a good foot taller than me and occasionally now by males.

Although she hasn’t been dumped, if that was the reason they were using then I don’t think it’s a viable one.

KiKi & Tea