Jameela Jamil is nothing if not straight up woke, the kind of woke that takes accountability for mistakes in the past, believes in getting better every day, and being thoroughly entertaining while she’s at it.
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Jameela Jamil recently announced on social media that she has officially joined the star cast of Marvel’s She-Hulk in an action-packed role. Sharing a TikTok video, she confirmed that she will appear in the upcoming Disney Plus television show. “I can’t believe I get to say this but….” read text written over the video, with the song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. “Fighting my way through the MCU, coming to you in 2022! #SheHulk #AnythingIsPossibleKids,” she added, before sharing a silly photo of a chubby young baby, presumably herself.
Anything is possible seems about right, because Jameela Jamil is quite the activist — she calls out misogyny, the upholding and throwing down of women in the UK media, fatphobia, you name it. Here are some moments when Jameela Jamil was a real life superhero.
Speaking up about her abortion to protest an anti-abortion bill
When the American state passed the Heartbeat Bill, which bans abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, Jameela spoke about her own abortion. “I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially. So many children will end up in foster homes. So many lives ruined. So very cruel.” It may be the first time she spoke about being pro choice so openly, but no matter the number of trolls in her DMs, she’s still sticking to the narrative: your body, your choice.
Calling herself out: “I was a misogynist”
Yes, imagine that. During a Red Table Talk interview with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Jameela admitted she made some mistakes, saying she was a “troll” because of the comments she made about other celebrity women, including Kim Kardashian West and Beyonce. “I was a misogynist. I didn’t have a good vibe of women growing up. I would speak disparagingly about women. I thought women were always about drama. There is documented proof of my shaming loads of female celebrities, like Miley, Beyonce, Rihanna, Kim… all these different people, Iggy Azalea.”
She explained that she was doing it out of pain, thinking it’s feminism. She went on to explain that this pain came from being sexually assaulted as a 22-year-old. “I’m sexually assaulted. I’m too afraid to confront my rapist. And so, instead, I get angry at all women who sexualise themselves because I blame them for why men have always sexualised me since I was a child (sic),” she said. Growth is all about knowing where you falter, get up, and get better, and clearly, Jameela understands.
Taking on the Kardashians
Jameela’s beef with the Kardashians is a whole story in itself. It started when Kim Kardashian posed with Flat Tummy Co.’s appetite suppressant lollipops on Instagram. Jamil called Kim a “terrible and toxic influence on young girls,” following up with another tweet urging Kim to “eat enough to fuel your BRAIN and work hard and be successful.” In another instance, she spoke up against an “f***d up diet culture” that even the Kardashians have been victims of, saying, “We are all f***ed when we buy into diet culture. Even though I remain furious at how much [the Kardashians] perpetuates fat-phobia and impossible beauty standards… I TOTALLY see why they’re so obsessed with presenting as whatever society’s latest ideal of ‘perfect’ is. Because they were harassed and bullied and scrutinised to within an inch of their lives.” (Sic)
Her fight with fatphobia
A recent, super fatphobic billboard in Times Square, New York, became the talk of the town for its insensitive advertising, and Jameela called out the same as well. Jamil said that she was at her unhealthiest when she was anorexic and skinny, whereas several people she knows who are bigger maintain a happier, healthier lifestyle, and should be allowed to love their body as it is.
Calling out gaslighting and media manipulation
In a listicle that didn’t even feature her, the feature picture had a candid image of the actress, which made it look like she’s the aggressor in the story. The usage of an out-of-context picture of a woman to make her seem like the “annoying one” in the story, Jameela wrote on her Instagram, We are subliminally set up to hate certain women after they are first built up by the same media is the idea that Jameela put out, and honestly, it’s food for thought. Meghan Markle is a classic example of this kind of manipulation.
