Last February, actress Jameela Jamil responded to a viral photo on Twitter concerning the Kardashian-Jenner family.
https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/966974823959269376
The tweet shows a family picture of the Kardashian-Jenners with their weights displayed across their frames like racehorse numbers. The caption reads, ” Does Kim look 56?!? Which weight are you?”
In return, Jamil posted this photo:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAee4hgqoG/?taken-by=jameelajamilofficial
And ever since, the “I Weigh” movement has grown rapidly on Instagram. The page has over 100K followers and 1.5K posts featuring those of all genders, races and body types. Submitters are urged to post a selfie with a list of things they value about themselves, showing that they are more than just a number.
We have been taught by the media for most of our lives that we have to look a certain way, be a specific weight. We are taught to value society’s version of beauty rather than the attributes and experiences that make us who we are.
Jamil’s movement has been working to end those ideals and has recently attracted the attention of other celebrities.
Emmy Rossum and Emma Kenney of Shameless (U.S.) joined the “I Weigh” movement by posting their own photos on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPU7Qcg_sd/?taken-by=i_weigh
Their photos have attracted the attention of the press, which makes it easier to break the stigma around weight. Instead of covering the movement up, celebrities and journalists have been embracing it.
Furthermore, on her personal blog, Jamil advocates against airbrushing. This is a practice that has plagued the media for decades, but it’s not often that we hear the perspectives of the models themselves. According to Jamil, she often requests not to be airbrushed but only sometimes gets her way and often “doesn’t know about being airbrushed until it’s too late.”
As well, her article explains the toll airbrushing has taken on her self-esteem and racial identity:
“When magazines have in the past altered my ethnic nose to look more Caucasian and button-like or lightened my skin… I feel racially offended. When I see that my cellulite and stretch marks that I spend my every day with have been deleted, it makes me feel bad about myself when I see them in the mirror.”
These are important current issues that few have dared to rebel against, but Jameela Jamil has surely broken the mold.
If you aren’t following the account already, you definitely should. Jamil’s insight, spunk and drive are slowly reclaiming beauty standards — one photo at a time.
