LMFAO Fired ‘Bikini Girl’ Member for Being ‘Big Boned?!’
LMFAO are party rockers of the highest order, but according to former ‘Bikini Girl’ Stephanie Arakel, they are also discriminators. Arakel, who shook what the Good Lord gave her as part of the stage show in 2009, as the duo was inching towards the massive fame they achieved in 2011, claims she was fired for being “big boned.”
At 21, Arakel, who stars in the ‘Shots’ video, quit her job and spent her nights in a polka dot bikini, touring and performing with the group. Fans began to know her by name, but she was unceremoniously fired via email at the end of 2009, adding insult to injury.
She claims that the point of no return came when she sang during a remix of Black Eyed Peas‘ ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and RedFoo took issue with that action.
“I sang Fergie‘s part,” Arakel told the The L.A. Weekly. “Foo was never the same.”
WTF? Was he miffed that she stole the spotlight or was beginning to achieve her own measure of fame or asserting herself too much into the mix? That’s what Arakel thinks.
“I honestly feel like Foo was like, ‘This isn’t the Black Eyed Peas, you are not about to turn into Fergie,’” she recalls. Foo then began criticizing her shape, saying that her legs were too big, that she was “big boned” and that she was busting out of her bikini, despite being 110 lbs. Two weeks later, she was told that her services were no longer needed and the band posted a “help wanted” ad seeking a replacement as the ‘Polka Dot Bikini Girl.’
That ad read as follows:
Up until recently, model Stephanie Arakel represented LMFAO as the Polka Dot Bikini Girl at home and on the road. LMFAO is now looking to expand its horizons and welcome more beautiful girls to the ranks. LMFAO is seeking bikini girls all across the U.S. If you think you have what it takes, submit a VIDEO showing LMFAO why you deserve to be the next Polka Dot Bikini Girl, along with your three best photos. Please include a close-up of your face, as well as a full body photo.
The firing didn’t derail her career, as she went on to appear on magazine covers and on ‘Entourage’ and ‘Californication.’ She also appeared in an Usher video.
LMFAO and their management refused to comment on Arakel’s story.
Watch the LMFAO ‘Shots’ Video