Jameela Jamil was 26 when she became fodder for tabloid newspapers in the UK that were “obsessively focused” on her changing body.
At the time, Jamil had found fame as a TV and radio host on local networks.
“It was a kind of cultural obsession around my size,” she recalls to 9honey.
“And I would have paparazzi stalking me all day every day, calling me a ‘fat c–t’ outside my home. I was like, ‘I refuse to tolerate it,’ and so I started fighting back.”
READ MORE: Serena hoses down claims she ‘dissed’ famous ex at Super Bowl
So began two decades of fierce advocacy work on behalf of women being held up to impossible beauty standards.
“I went and spoke in Parliament, and I started using all of my interviews as a platform to talk about the way that we treat women and I just never shut the f–k up about it since,” she says ahead of her Australia speaking tour, An Evening With Jameela Jamil.
“I feel very confused by how far back we’ve gone with body image standards”
Jamil went on to forge an impressive career, continuing her work as a TV and radio host before venturing into acting on the 2016 American comedy series The Good Place alongside Ted Danson and Kristen Bell.
She continued her advocacy work throughout, including on the podcast I Weigh.
READ MORE: Katy Perry explains what was on her ‘cringe’ space butterfly
Despite her best efforts, Jamil, now 39, feels it’s “the worst it’s been in 20 years” for women.
”I feel a little bit crazy, and like all the work we did in the body positivity community made so much less of a dent than I would have liked it to,” Jamil says.
“I feel very confused by how far back we’ve gone with body image standards, given that in the ’90s, we didn’t know any better.
“Now we do. And now we’re opting in for the beauty standard, and we know where it comes from. We know how damaging it is. We know that quick fix ideals don’t last.
“We know how arbitrary beauty ideals are … we’re doing it anyway.
“I literally can’t get my brain around it. I’m still processing it.”
Jamil’s battle with anorexia began as a teenager and continued into her twenties, while she was building her career.
She has previously spoken about the lasting impact anorexia had on her health, including that it “destroyed” her bone density and damaged her kidney, liver, digestive system and heart.
Jamil counts herself lucky to have survived, when many women have not.
She remains in despair that ‘thin’ is back in.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
“I think the most beautiful thing about being almost 40 is I’ve lived long enough to watch this cycle go round and round and round,” she says.
“And I think in a few years, curves will be back and that will be trendy and they’ll tell everyone who sucked their fat out to pump it back in.
“And then super skinny will come back … and I just think there’s a direct correlation between the rise in conservatism and the rise in ridiculous beauty standards for women.
“I’m just shocked to see how many women are opting in for it. It’s like witnessing Stockholm Syndrome.”
READ MORE: The cooling blanket that radically changed my sleep
What began as a career of advocacy work fighting against pressure being placed on women to be skinny has segued into fighting for the right to visibly age.
Jamil says she feels “really excited” to age.
“I’ve said before that I feel like this Australian tour is like the launch of my ‘crone’ era,” she says, ‘crone’ meaning “an old woman who may be characterised as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations”.
“I’m very excited about aging. I’m very excited about being a crone! And I love the wisdom and the chill time has brought me.
“They try to make us feel ashamed of just having survived and lived a long time.
“We have all this wisdom … we’ll teach [younger women] how to get free quicker than we were able to.”
If you or someone you know is in need of body image support contact The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.
Book your tickets to Jameela Jamil’s Australian speaking tour here.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
