A mother-of-two who was tired of seeing skinny celebrities wearing ‘ridiculous outfits’ on the red carpet decided to recreate the most outlandish looks as part of a do-it-yourself project.
When Danielle Broadbent, 41, from West Yorkshire, tuned in to watch the Met Gala, Paris Fashion Week and the Oscars last year, she found herself laughing in disbelief.
‘Some celebrities were wearing the most ridiculous outfits I have ever seen in my life,’ she told FEMAIL. ‘Why is it that when a slimmer person wears something like that, it is seen as iconic?
‘But if I, as a curvy woman, were to turn up in yellow tape it would be seen as totally different.’
Angered by the lack of plus-size representation on the red-carpet, Danielle took matters into her own hands.
With the support of her partner Mike, 39, she booked a small studio in Manchester to photograph herself wearing DIY versions of the silliest A-lister looks to make a calendar for her family and friends.
‘A lot of my friends are quite body conscious,’ she said. ‘The calendar is just a gentle reminder that fashion and glamour is not just for one size.
‘If Beyoncé and Ariana can do it, so can bloody I!’
Danielle Broadbent (left), 41, recreated Gigi Hadid’s (right) Paris Fashion Week outfit made of yellow DHL tape
The mother-of-two, who wears a size 16, used pillows and a duvet from her bedroom to recreate Ariana Grande’s puffed pink dress look from the Oscars, wrapped herself in yellow tape to reproduce Gigi Hadid’s outfit at Paris Fashion Week and even ordered a light-up reindeer from Amazon to copy the cover art of Beyoncé’s Renaissance album.
While the designer looks worn by celebrities would have cost them eye-watering amounts, the everyday items Danielle found around her house or ordered on Amazon came to £200.
‘When I put the Beyoncé leotard costume on, I felt absolutely unreal,’ Danielle said. ‘I wanted to drive home in it.
‘I felt like I could be in Destiny’s Child.
‘There were a lot of looks where I thought, “oh my god, what am I going to look like in this?” or, “how is this even fashion?” but I felt really empowered.
‘I got a lot of compliments about the yellow tape one which I wasn’t expecting, to be honest.
The mother-of-two (left) used pillows and a duvet from her bedroom to recreate Ariana Grande’s (right) puffed pink dress look from the Oscars
Danielle (left) even ordered a light-up reindeer from Amazon to copy the cover art of Beyoncé’s (right) Renaissance album
‘When I put the Beyoncé leotard costume on, I felt absolutely unreal,’ Danielle (left) said. ‘I wanted to drive home in it’
While the designer looks worn by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian (right) cost eye-watering amounts, the everyday items Danielle (left) found around her house or ordered on Amazon came to £200
Danielle (pictured) hired a small studio in Manchester to shoot the pictures for her calendar. She recreated several looks including Ashley Graham’s (right) dark lingerie at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in October 2024
‘The photoshoot for me was just a lot of fun.
‘Just wear what you want, do what you want and feel good in your own skin.’
But Danielle has not always found it easy to be confident about her body
After having her first child Alecia at the age of 22, it was easy to return to her pre-pregnancy slim self.
But in 2009, she was diagnosed with a thyroid condition and a year later, struggled to shift her postpartum belly after giving birth to her son.
‘I’ve been the young person standing in the mirror willing the fat to disappear,’ Danielle said.
Danielle (left), a radio presenter and body positivity campaigner, used tinfoil to recreate Kim Kardashian’s (right) Met Gala look from 2024
Despite feeling empowered to create scantily clad red carpet looks such as Maya Jama’s (right) pinned-together black dress at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Danielle (left) has not always felt confident in her own body
Danielle (left) was diagnosed with a thyroid condition in 2009 but that didn’t stop her from recreating Rosamund Pike’s (right) striking look for last year’s Golden Globe Awards
Danielle (left) said she felt empowered to recreate outlandish looks like Katy Perry’s (right) shirtless moment at the 2024 Balenciaga show thanks to support from her family and friends
Dressing up as famous faces such as Miley Cyrus (right), Danielle (left) thanked her partner of 20 years for his constant support: ‘He is my biggest cheerleader’
Danielle’s friends reacted to her 2025 Icons Calendar at a Christmas party – and thought it was ‘brilliant’
‘My body got me through some pretty traumatic times in my life so I had to learn to respect it for that.
‘I’m more than happy with this body – it is my vessel, it is my home. That is way more important to me now at this stage in my life.’
And her partner Mike has been by her side through the ups and downs of her body confidence journey.
‘I’ve been with Mike for nearly 20 years,’ Danielle said. ‘He has seen me go through every chapter.
‘From meeting me as a younger, much slimmer version of myself before we had kids to when I was really miserable with my body to now.
‘He is my biggest cheerleader.’
Also supporting Danielle from the sidelines are her friends – who she thanked by gifting them her ‘Icons Calendar’ at Christmas.
‘They thought it was brilliant,’ she said. ‘Some of my girls are really weight obsessed so it was refreshing for them to see that not one size fits all. I think I am slowly getting through to them.
‘Confidence is always the sexiest thing you can wear – it looks good on us.
‘Real beauty is found in self-acceptance, energy and kindness, and it’s so important that we shift the conversation to focus on body positivity, self-love, and the importance of mental well-being.’
The proceeds from Danielle’s Icons Calendar will be donated to MIND – a mental health charity in England and Wales.
