By Dear Jameela Jamil,
Simply put, you’re a badass.
I, among so many other women, can’t even begin to say how much I appreciate your rawness and honesty. Being that you have such a huge platform, I commend you greatly for using it to help those who don’t have as much of an opportunity to use their voices. For the longest time, we have really needed someone like you.
I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while now, and let me just say, every time you post something, I gasp (in a good way, of course). Your realness reverberates through my phone screen and makes me smile, because I can tell how much you care about the issues you speak out about and against, and how much you don’t care what people think of you speaking about them.
People will always claim that honesty is the best policy, but when it comes to actually being truthful, most people have a hard time achieving it, especially through social media and especially if they’re a celebrity. Thank you for fearlessly calling out this act of irresponsibility when you said, “I’m angry with irresponsible celebrities, who take a platform that they’re given and they use it so greedily. And so I’m going to be part of the change, or they will have to kill me, which they probably will.”
You don’t strike me as fake or dishonest for a second, because you’ve stated it loud and clear that you’ve been through the struggles imposed upon you by industries who are determined to prey on our insecurities.
From suffering from anorexia to quickly gaining 75 lbs after a car accident, you know what you’re talking about when you speak out about acceptance and how important it is to banish self-hate, and usher in self-love. When you speak out, I believe you. When you speak out, I want to listen. When you speak out, Jameela, I am that much more determined to accept myself as I am.
Body-shaming and fat-shaming have become so prominent and rooted in our daily lives, that an insistence on body-positivity is often seen as a fragile “snowflakes’” way of making themselves feel better about themselves, but you don’t care what anyone has to say.
Your campaign, “i Weigh”, is so vital to today’s society. One scroll through its’ Instagram page and we know right away that your objective, to promote “radical inclusivity so that no one feels alone,” is being accomplished. The internet, clothing companies, the fashion industry, the reality star du-jour etc, are all guilty of body-shaming, but having a fearless force like you at the forefront of the battle against this shaming makes it a little less scary to face.
Body-shaming and fat-shaming have become so prominent and rooted in our daily lives, that an insistence on body-positivity is often seen as a fragile “snowflakes’” way of making themselves feel better about themselves, but you don’t care what anyone has to say. You know this movement is necessary, and you’re never going to stop fighting for it. You stated it perfectly when you said, “I would like to weigh myself in what matters, and that was my financial independence, my activism, my relationship, my amazing friends, the things that I am grateful for. That’s what I weigh.”
Honestly, there’s a million other amazing things I could say about you, Jameela. After reading some of your interviews, such as your one with Paper Magazine about all things body-related, I know you’ve felt and heard it all when it comes to body issues. I feel relief that you’re going to use some of the pain, insecurity, and uncertainty you went through to help others get through their own pain.
And whenever someone insinuates that women have to be 100 lbs, with a skinny waist and perfect curves to be valued, you waste no time calling that out for the BS that it is. Just like you recently did, when The Telegraph’s official Twitter page called a Nike mannequin “obese,” claiming the body-positive mannequin “cannot run” because she’s likely “pre-diabetic and on her way to a hip replacement.” How insanely monstrous do you have to be to even think that, let alone type it out and share it on a public forum?
https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1137870497188700160
So thank you, Jameela, for being you. For being honest about what you’ve been through, emotionally, mentally, and body-wise, so that we can work towards removing stigma once and for all. Thank you for sticking up for everyone, because EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US deserves to feel worthy, no matter our size.
You’re savage, without being rude. You’re honest, and you’re an activist. Please keep calling out unreal standards, bigotry, and bullying, because we’re listening, watching, and appreciating it more than you know.
Sincerely yours,
A Muslim Girl