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Today, we want to talk about someone very well-known: @jameelajamil
Today, we want to talk about someone very well-known: @jameelajamil
In 2020, social media is quick to judge how worthy celebrities are of the "activist" label. Jameela Jamil is no stranger to harsh scrutiny under the public eye for her controversial takes and seemingly contradictory claims.
Jamil was born in London, England and entered the entertainment industry at a young age, attempting to model and also co-hosting the radio show "The Official Chart Update" on BBC Radio 1.
Her career sparked with her role as Tahani Al-Jamil on @nbcthegoodplace where she played a self-obsessed and wealthy philanthropist.
In her real life, Jamil has launched some campaigns including "Why Not People?" - a company that hosts live entertainment events for people with disabilities.
She has also launched a body-positivity/ body-neutrality movement called "I Weigh," which she describes as a "movement for [people] to feel valuable and see how amazing [they] are, and look past the flesh on our bones."
In addition to her campaigns, Jamil has been outspoken about criticizing the diet industry and influencers who profit off promoting unhealthy diet products, lifestyles and body images, as she has struggled with eating disorders and body dysmorphia in the past.
Recently, people attacked Jamil for claims she has made about her past, calling her a liar and "virtue-signalling" to gain fame in the feminist realm. Jamil has publicly responded to these comments, asking individuals to stop attacking people based on loosely supported claims.
This has not stopped people from arguing about tagging Jamil with the label of "feminist," claiming that many of her actions and words seem performative at best.
While we may not be able to change these peoples' minds, we would like to remind all of our readers and viewers on an idea we can all likely agree upon: it is not a feminist's job to strip someone else of their feminist label.
We all do things that others may disagree with, or that we may learn in the future to have been hurtful or offensive.
Being a feminist is about remaining flexible, fluid and constantly incorporating what we learn into our future actions and behaviours, as Jamil has shown. #WomenofMarch
