In addition to her singing, dancing and presenting, Amanda Holden is known for what she wears. The TV and radio host, talking to Grazia on the phone on the way back from her morning radio show, has never subscribed to outdated fashion rules about modesty, age or being reserved. And why should she? 'For me, there's no limits,' Amanda says. 'I look at my peers, and I look at people like Jennifer Aniston and Sharon Stone and J-Lo, gorgeous women into their 50s, ahead of me in age, and I'm like, well, there are no rules anymore.'
And the 50-year-old wants to make sure her two children, and their peers, inherit the same attitude. 'I want to make sure that the generation coming behind me, like my kids, don't feel like they have to stick to any sort of weird rule that was set by the generation before: that we all have to cut our hair off and go grey and wear long skirts and never show our ankles again, which seems to be the rule of my mum's generation,' she continues. 'It's not right!'
While we love the way Amanda is confident enough to wear whatever the hell she wants, whether that's a miniskirt or a low-cut top, it's an indictment of our misogynistic society that sometimes, her outfits makes people angry. So angry, they feel like they need to complain to Ofcom whenever Amanda has a dress that shows her cleavage on Britain's Got Talent. Astoundingly, in 2017, a low-cut Julien Macdonald dress she wore on the series became the most complained about TV moment of the year. And unfortunately, things haven't got any better. In October last year, 235 people complained about a corset-style dress she wore - because it looked like her nipples could be showing.
One of the most annoying things is that, whenever people complain about her outfits, usually the same reasoning is used: Britain's Got Talent is a family show. But that reasoning doesn't hold up, because if you take your kids to a swimming pool, or a beach, they will be seeing people in far less clothing. '100%,' Amanda agrees unequivocally. 'And that is the most annoying thing about it.'
Obviously, the men she works with - including TV's most famous talent show judge - aren't subject to the same scrutiny about their clothing. 'When Simon unbuttons, six or seven of his buttons on the shows, there's no complaints whatsoever,' she continues. 'Boobs get sexualised, they're not seen to what their purpose is, which is to feed our children. They've been made into something much, much more than that. And we're doing so many good things in the world when it comes to women's rights - and not just women's issues, too - it's amazing. But people still write in about a bit of sideboob,' she adds, exasperated.
Luckily, Amanda has been able to laugh at people getting angry about sideboob for years - and she says she's supported by a strong team of women. 'I spend a lot of time laughing and not caring and thankfully I've got very strong female team at Britain's Got Talent who run the show, check me over and go, "You look good to me". And we just sort of stick two fingers up to it really.'
A lover of fashion, Amanda is now working on a new range with JDWilliams, alongside fellow TV legend Davina McCall. 'It's a brand I think are looking for sort of an injection of vitality and fresh blood,' she says. 'So Davina and I are the women for the job. And, and I think going going forward, it is sort of epitomising I think what I hope how we come across: we're sort of every woman, we are fallible, feisty women who don't take no for an answer who know our minds - and enjoy a bargain because JDWilliams obviously isn't massively expensive either.'
Amanda features alongside Davina McCall in the JD Williams Womankind{
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