UPDATE: Ricki Lee has responded to rumours she’s being replaced as the face of shapewear brand holdmetight.
On Twitter, she said “Don’t believe everything u read – Im still the face of @holdmetight 
xxx”
“I’ve got D cups, hips & a butt … I’m always going 2 have a womanly shape. (Hold Me Tight) is all about embracing and enhancing that.”
Earlier we posted:
Ricki Lee’s weight loss could cost her money.
We’re often outraged when brands dump models and ambassadors for being “too fat” but what happens when the tables are turned?
Pop star and The Voice mentor Ricki Lee Coulter is an ambassador for shapewear brand holdmetight – she signed on to be the brand’s face in 2008, and in the time since then she’s been on a health and fitness campaign that’s seen her jump from a size 14 to a size 8.
Now there are rumours holdmetight is looking to replace the former Australian Idol star. The Herald Sun reports:
A source said moves had begun to find someone more full-figured.
“(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.”
A spokesperson for the brand (which encourages women to “embrace their curves”) has said Ricki Lee still had six months left on her contract and that there were “no real plans for us to change at this stage”.
But in 6 months time? Who knows.
What’s your take?
Ricki-Lee Coulter
![thumbs 201009303418617058[1] Celeb news: Ricki Lee... too skinny for shapewear?](http://www.mamamia.com.au/wp-content/gallery/ricki-lee/201009303418617058[1].jpg "Ricki-Lee Coulter"){kind=small}
Comments
75 Comments so far
I actually think she looked good when she was bigger. Not that she does not look great now. She just suits her curves and never really looked overweight to me.
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Sigh… I would gladly take ricki lee’s’ problem off her hands… Would love to be too skinny for shapewear hehehe:)
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Me too! Lol
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I just like that in the second last photo, the Audi rings look like a mickey mouse style headband on her head =P
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Size 8 or size 18 – whatever makes her HEALTHIEST
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If those are D-cups, I’m Kate Moss!
But whatever, I love Ricki Lee…. curvy, skinny, I think she looked gorgeous either way and she is really down to earth on radio interviews I’ve heard.
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Agree! No way are those D cups anymore!!
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D-cups vary greatly. You can’t tell what cup size someone is just by looking at them in clothing. I have a friend who looks almost totally flat chested. She’s actually a C-cup, she just has large but flat boobs. My breasts are pretty in your face whatever I wear, and most people would probably guess I’m an F or G cup, but actually I’m a D cup.
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Look, let’s address the elephant in the room Ricki Lee looks miles better slim than she does fat.
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Yep, she looks a hundred times better now.
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Woohoo, someone addressed the elephant in the room.. thank goodness I didn’t have to. She looks wonderful now.
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Uh, no? She looks great both ways? Why does she looks ‘better’ slimmer? Go media conditioning. You rock.
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it’s got nothing to do with media conditioning. It’s just old fashioned aesthetics.
Svelte and willowy is more pleasing to the eye than stout and tubby. Everyone knows it, why do we try to kid ourselves?
Slim is also better than skinny for that matter. Skinny and fat are equally yuck.
Slender is always gonna be best.
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Stout and tubby?
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She’s emaciated now! I think she was overweight before and that we tiptoe around weight issues (I say this as a curvy size ten who’s working on the fact that I am a bit chunky for my frae right now) but the fact is she is far too thin now. Her head looks like a lollipop.
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I don’t think this discussion is about whether or not Ricki Lee looks good, she looks fantastic.Shapewear isn’t even really about size. I’m an 8-10, but I’ve had 3 kids which has left me with separation of the abdominal muscles and saggy skin, so I wear it under some dresses to give me a flatter stomach. Their target market isn’t super fit women that work out all the time, but women like me who haven’t got the perfect figure and need a bit of help. And I just can’t agree with Ricki Lee being described as curvy when she looks like an athlete now!
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Where can I buy this shapewear?!!!
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Give her six months and she’ll be on the cover of NW telling us she ‘loves her curves’.
Six months after that it will be ‘Ricki Lee’s weight loss tips!’
I just wish she’d come out and say she loves cake, sometimes she loves it a bit too much and cuts back. Then the cycle continues.
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Well if they don’t want a size 8 ambassador, then I hope their product starts at a size 10!!!
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honestly I worry about Rikki Lee, Im sure she’s fine and my concern is misplaced but when you meet a new bloke who is a personal trainer and he helps you transform yourself so dramatically… I dunno it just makes me worry. I think she looked better before. I understand how intense the pressure is to be as thin as you can possibly be especially for someone in the media, but Rikki was one of those people who just looked so gorgeous even though she wasnt the cookie cutter clone of everyone elses size and shape. And I think her face especially needs a bit of fleshing out.
But really her body is her business, as in none of mine. If hold me tight lets her go she looks like she has plenty else on right now to keep her occupied. I have never heard of hold me tight.
I think Rikki is great and I hope she is a happy woman.
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Yes she is gorgeous and yes she has obviously lost weight if these things make her happy then that makes me happy too!
Her apparent allergy to pants in any form however makes me very very sad.
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Allergy to pants- hilarious!
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My 3 year old has an ‘allergy” to pants
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One thing that really pops out is just how beautiful Ricki Lee is! She looks so glowing and happy in all those photos. For the record I think she looked great when she was on Idol and I think she looks great now at her slimmer size.
I don’t see anything wrong with ending a business ‘ambassadorship’ if she doesn’t suit their target marget. The business needs to appoint someone they think will work best for their business.
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In one sense it’s a logical business move, but it is a bit contradictory – how many ads for face products feature women with flawless skin?
Good on Rikki-Lee anyway – she looks stunning!! People are criticising her for having said she was happy with her curves and then going and losing so much weight, but perhaps that is a perfect example of her choosing to be positive about her body, whatever size it is? At size 14 she focused on gorgeous curves and didn’t obsess about her weight, now that she has adopted a different lifestyle, she is focusing on how much healthier she feels.
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I think Rikki-Lee looks stunning whatever size she is. Good on her for working hard to achieve a body that she feels happy in and is more confident with. The only thing that worries me is that she has now come out and said that back in her curvy days she loathed her body… She’d be standing on the red carpet feeling huge and unglamourous. All the while she was responding to interviews saying ‘I love my curves’.
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Who knew such a pretty face was hiding under her excess weight. She looks like has had work done probably hasn’t but is extremely pretty now before age was just pretty.age want even that big before but the difference is amazing Agger looks like
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She was beautiful as she was. How judgemental can you be!
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huh?
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who’s age?
who’s agger?
Wtf?
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Ricki-Lee may lose her contract with HoldMeTight which from a business standpoint is fair enough, she no longer represents the group of women who would be the target auidience for shapewear.
It’s logical. How many size 8 women do you know that wear shapewear?
Probably not a large percentage compared to that of other larger clothing sizes.
She isn’t being discriminated against. It’s a business move.
en I first noticed Rikki-Lee had lost quite a lot of weight, I was admittedly jealous and I felt sad because she represented “my size” beautifully.
But then I woke up to myself and realised just because I had trouble moving the weight and I felt miserable and I hated the way my body looked, didn’t mean she had to too.
How ridiculously selfish and rude of me?
Now I look at Rikki-Lee and think “Good for you!” she made healthy changes and happy changes.
She is probably incredibly proud and very happy with the way she looks.
The way I look gets me down on a daily basis. I’m always thinking “What if I lost 25kgs?”
Seeing Rikki-Lee lose weight and be happy in herself makes me want to follow suit.
Not because I don’t like being a “size 14″ but because I just happen to wear size 14′s and I don’t like the way I look.
She may lose a contract and some cash, but the happiness and pride she has gained for reaching what I’d imagine would have been a personal goal by far outweighs that.
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I’m size 8 and wear shapewear, as do my friends! It’s not about size it’s about shape. I have me some saddlebags and if I’m wearing a tight dress I’ll pop on a shapewear slip.
I think its about finding a happy medium, using a size 18 woman would alienate some of the market just like it would to use a size 6 woman.
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well said kateo
I am size 8 and live in shapewear, it helps create the smooth shape, I no longer have after having my bub.
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I am a size 14 and wear shapewear, I have some on now. Shhh
(again just my observation, I see more 8 to 10′s left on the rack whilst shopping hehe)
You’re right, it is all about shape, I’ve had three kids and have all sorts of flab, but if you’re talking statistics/percentages of women who use shapewear, I’d imagine the majority would either be of similar shape or size as Ricki-Lee pre-weight loss
At the end of the day it’s HUZZAH for shapewear because I can tuck my flabby parts in, and HUZZAH for Ricki-Lee because she seems content.
Oh and not to mention she keeps her contact as per Tweet
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Ricki Lee is unrecognisable these days. Personally I think she’s too small now but she looks the same as all the usual suspects these days so I hope that makes her happy.
Should she be advertising shapewear? Hell no. It’s like Nicole Kidman being the face of Jenny Craig.
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Sounds fair enough to me.
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To be too skinny for a shapewear ad… oh, what a lovely problem to have.
Also, the change of ambassador has succeeded in getting tongues wagging about the brand, which I’m sure is another reason why they want to move on from Ricki-Lee. Nicely done.
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The 9th photo does not look like her at all!!! I would never had picked that! Wow!
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I reckon #9 is actually Abi Tucker, from Heartbreak High… and now more importantly Play School.
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Yes,with Ricki Lee’s weight loss they need a new ambassador.
End of story. After 4 years – Not a big deal.
Whilst, I do think she is a now on the slight side, I think Ricki-Lee is beautiful inside and out.
My teenage daughter was lucky enough to be an extra in her latest music video and spoke very highly of her – She was very down to earth and friendly.
I think she;s a great role model.
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I honestly don’t give a hoot who weighs how much !
Why this obsession ?
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You know what annoys me? Any woman in the public eye who is not a size 8, who is a normal size 12/14 is suddenly put in the position of being a ‘role model for curvy women’. It’s not Ricky Lee’s fault but she spent years defending her size and saying she was happy being ‘bigger’ (and looking gorgeous) then inevitably comes the massive weight loss so now she looks, well to me – gaunt and unnatural. She undoubtedly got so sick of the media going on and on about how great it was that she was representing ‘bigger’ girls ( when in fact she wasn’t actually big at all) that she got fed up and decided to join the ranks of all the other female whippet thin celebs. Boring.
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Or….she starting dating her personal training, upped her exercise regime, starting eating a balanced diet and lost weight.
Good for her – she looks gorgeous. Definitely not gaunt and unnatural.
Haters gonna hate.
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I’m not a hater at all. I’ve always liked Ricki-Lee and I still do. I think you’ve missed my point entirely. Sure she might have done that, the insinuation that she needed to lose weight in the first place is my issue.
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What about Chrissie Swan? She’s gorgeous
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oh isn’t she just. I love her. Her smile is infectious
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Agreed, one of my favourite women on Aus TV… so confident, so funny, so natural…. just plain awesome
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I think Ricki Lee is lucky. She looks beautiful large or small. Exactly why she SHOULD continue to be the ambassador.
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Ugh I HATE that people carry on about her weight loss like she was a mammoth before. She was a size 14. Not 44. She looked incredible. She looks great, but can we please be realistic about it? I’m a size 14 and I certainly don’t feel the need to “turn my life around”.
As for being ambassador for Shapewear, maybe she’s not suitable anymore. A woman who “needs” shapewear doesn’t want to see a skinny person on the label.
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If you listen to Ricki Lee’s story however, it wasn’t her size that was her concern, it was how unhealthy she was. I think we all agree she looks gorgeous no matter what size she is, but I love that she is so open, admitting that she was unhappy in her life, not necessarily with her weight. Losing weight has just been a consequence of making big changes in her life.
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Being healthier is not a panacea to her unhappiness.
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According to her, it was part of the process. Not all of it.
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Hold on.. hasnt she given a billion interviews saying she is happy with her curves?!? why the backflip. and believe me take it from someone who exercises daily, runs marathons and eats extremely healthy- it wasnt Just exercise that got all that weight off.
Thats just from my experience and i know many many many size 14 women who have lost weight and now size 10-8 and they dont look like that. Skin doesnt just shrink that much…
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She probably was happy with her weight at the time, then started getting a bit healthier and realised she loved that even more. That’s cool – people are allowed to change their mind. It doesn’t mean they were lying before.
I think she’s really impressive for her life choices and how she handles herself.
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I’m a healthy fit size 10 and I wear shape wear. It smooths over the bumps and general makes everything look more contoured.
Ricki Lee looks amazing, and I’m sure all the other brands of shape wear are not using plus size models (size 12), what a joke.
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I think Ricki Lee looks amazing. She’s also a great role model, showing that by exercising and eating healthily, you too can turn your life around.
I don’t think anyone believes she needs to wear shape wear these days. Therefore, she’s not the best ambassador for the brand. End of story.
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totally agree with your comments Barb!
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Curves? What curves?! I’m a 31 year old mum of 3 who looks pretty good except for my squishy mummy tummy. She looks fantastic- super fit and healthy- she doesn’t need shapewear at all! I can’t relate to her anymore. I have nothing against her new look, it just seems a bit silly now she’s a toned size 8. Who could be the new face? Maybe our very own Mia!!
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Totally agree with your comment however whilst Mia is gorgeous, I dont think she would be very appropriate as the face of the shapewear company either! She’s tiny!
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I know mia’s tiny, I only said it because she’s posted pics of herself on here shamelessly wearing shapewear undies!! Go Mia!
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And Mia shamelessly showed off the shapewear she was wearing on the TODAY show this morning!
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Indeed I did. Wasn’t that chic?
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I seriously cant think of one curvy aussie famous person. hmmm. the list goes on and on. used to be megan gale but she’s too skinny now too. They must be stumped!
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They are few and far between aren’t they? Although I saw Claire Bowditch on TV the other day- she’s bloody gorgeous and curvy to boot! Though I don’t think she would be all that interested in doing a shapewear ad, I imagine that would be pretty stunning!
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How freaking gorgeous is Clare? She was so good on Offspring last night too. I love the woman!
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Ricki-Lee is still very curvy. Curvy doesn’t mean plus-size, it’s all about waist to hip ratio’s. You can be a size 6 and have crazy curves, and you can be a size 26 and have no curves whatsoever.
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yes “curvy” is now aday used to describe larger women. most women size 12 and up are not curvy.. more round. only 10% of aussi women are curvy today- in the classic sense.
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What a load of crap that women size 12 and up aren’t curvy – I’m size 14 and my curves are banging thank you very much!
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She said most, not all, and she’s right. The larger you are the less likely you are to have a tiny waist in comparison to your hips. As a size 8-10 I’m curvy. As a size 16 I’m pretty much straight up and down because my waist disappears.
An true hourglass figure is an increasingly rare thing. Only a very small proportion of women who think they are hourglasses actually are.
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I understand that she said most – but the fact that she is saying women wearing a size 12 and size 14 are round is pretty ridiculous! A size 12 is far from round…..
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I agree, the word curvy was used to describe that very rare woman with an amazing hourglass body (think Sofia Vergara) but, over the last few years, this has changed and now it seems to describe all large women regardless of their shape. Anyone and everyone is referring to themselves as curvy these days so it’s become a little confusing.
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Wow, didnt mean to offend anyone at all. I wasnt saying that everyone who is a size 12 and up is round. not at all. Just that, like Jess and Anonymos pointed out, “curvy” is used to descibe any woman with hips and butt, but rarely do they have the waist measurement for the hourglass figure that is described as curvy.
And yes, being an hourglass figure is a pain often because clothes are certainly not made for it.
Again, didnt mean to offend. I just think that a lot of women who are round, simply because they have ass boobs and hips refer to themself as curvy, and someone like me who has the classic curvy figure, or hourglass figure, is now referred to as skinny. which is completely wrong.
I think women off all shapes can look amazing, there is no doubt about it.
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Curves aren’t always great to have – tried on a dress yesterday, I needed it to be a size smaller for the waist and a size bigger for the hips, makes it hard to buy clothes!
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If the company chooses to go with a new face, that’s fine, especially seeing as Ricki has achieved great results in fitness. Ricki no longer needs them and vice versa!!! Also, regardless of Ricki’s new look, from an advertising point of view, bringing a new face to the brand after 5 years is the smart thing to do in order to keep the brand’s advertising fresh & in order to capture new customers.
Let’s just hope this thread doesn’t turn into another Ricki “skinny-bash”
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If I looked like Ricki Lee I wouldn’t need to wear shapewear!
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