Mom of Instagram Star with Famous Butt Discusses Her Daughter's Sexy Selfies
Certified fitness trainer Amanda Lee (@amandaeliselee), 28, has 3.4 million Instagram followers, thanks to posts that showcase her assets and the fitness routine responsible for them.
Because the bulk of her photos are overtly sexy, it may come as a surprise to learn that the photographer is often Amanda's mother, 56-year-old Olinda Fields. (She's on Instagram too - her handle is @thequeenofnike, and she currently has around 1,300 followers.)
Amanda and Olinda are part of a trend of Instagram stars working closely with their moms, like Tawna Henry, mother of Katya Elise Henry (@katyaelisehenry, 2.4 million followers), who answers her daughter's fan emails.
And then there's Ellen Ector (an Instagram star herself, with 112,000 people following her at @ellenectorfit), who competes with her increasingly popular daughter Lana Ector (@lanaectorfit, with 130,000 followers) for followers.
Cosmopolitan.com recently talked to Amanda Lee's mom Olinda about what it's like to have a daughter whose body is famous on Instagram and how she contributes to that success.
Tell us about your relationship with your daughter. I have five kids, and Amanda is my second oldest of two girls and three boys, but we're always saying that Amanda and I should have been sisters instead of mother and daughter because we're so close. We see each other almost every day and love doing things together, like getting our nails done and working out. I've always been into fitness - I'm an avid runner, certified personal trainer, and group fitness instructor, and I've worked as a fitness director for a residential property in L.A. and for Nike. Amanda motivates me and I think I motivate her.
How do you feel about her Instagram account overall? I love her pictures. They are sexy, but they are very discreet. I feel she's a beautiful young woman, and I think it's great she can motivate other young women.
I just feel so proud of her and very happy that she's my daughter. To this day, I'm so amazed that she was able to get 3.5 million followers. It's very competitive out there with so many beautiful women doing the same thing. I wish Instagram was around when I was her age, because I would have been trying to do the same thing as Amanda.
Amanda has said you take most of her photos. Whenever she posts a photo that's not a selfie or from a professional shoot, it's usually taken by me. I don't think she feels comfortable with other people taking the pictures.
She's always directing me, so I just follow her direction on whatever she tells me to do - but she's always asking my advice on which pictures to post and where to take the pictures. I wish I were more savvy!
She's always concerned she doesn't post enough pictures - that other girls post new pictures more often. So whenever we have the opportunity to take pictures, I try to help as much as I can - like one day she was going out to lunch and I said, "You look cute, let's take a picture!" It wasn't a long process - I took a few pictures, she looked through them, and picked two to post. Usually she's very picky.
Is it awkward when she is in her underwear and trying to look sexy? I don't see it as awkward or strange, like doing a Playboy spread or whatever. I just think she looks so cute. It's like I'm taking a picture of her for my family album. She might change into a couple different outfits, and I'll take pictures of her then, but it's not that contrived. And it's not like she is revealing a lot. She's showing her assets but she's doing it tastefully.
How do you feel when your daughter posts an overtly sexy picture on Instagram? She's never posted a photo that's made me feel uncomfortable. Everyone in the family is behind her and encourages her - although I don't think her brothers are checking out her Instagram. That would be a little weird.
My favorites are when she does her bikini photos and looks so amazing. Her body is so perfect. She's such a sweet girl. Her pictures don't depict her personality.
Has a comment on Amanda's Instagram ever upset you? I don't really read a lot of the comments. Regardless of who you are, you're going to get negativity. I'm more concerned about whether her fans are going to do something crazy. Sometimes I worry about her safety because there are a lot of crazy people - you never know.
What do you wish your daughter would change about her account? She should post more family photos. [Laughs.] I wish all my kids had as many followers as she does - it would be awesome to have the whole family be kind of like the Kardashians.
What about your daughter makes you most proud? I think the fact that she did this all by herself on her own. I'm just so proud of her for what she's achieved without any help from anyone. She dedicated herself and worked hard and was able to achieve this tremendous amount of followers without any help.
