Jameela Jamil isn't just great as name-dropping Tahani on The Good Place. She's also a warm and funny presence on social media who uses her platform to call out things like toxic conversations on women's weight.
Yesterday the actress and presenter used Twitter to point out the potentially damaging impact of an Instagram story shared by Khloé Kardashian. The reality star and Revenge Body host had shared with her 73.6 million followers "5 hacks to look thin af in your photos."
Posting a screen grab of the story, Jamil wrote: "WTF Khloe? girls keep sending me this screen shot and saying it’s making them feel bad. Unfollow ANYONE who stirs low self esteem in you. Make Instagram a safe space for yourself rather than a trap of pointless poison."
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WTF Khloe? girls keep sending me this screen shot and saying it’s making them feel bad. Unfollow ANYONE who stirs low self esteem in you. Make Instagram a safe space for yourself rather than a trap of pointless poison. pic.twitter.com/DHOpVOhkAg
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) March 10, 2018
In a follow-up tweet, Jamil highlighted the harmful message Kardashian's story might send out to young women, writing: "Don’t concentrate on school or work or achievements or your kids or your friendships or love... just make *sure* you look “THIN AF” in your edited Instagram pictures girls. That’s how to win life!"
Don’t concentrate on school or work or achievements or your kids or your friendships or love... just make *sure* you look “THIN AF” in your edited Instagram pictures girls. That’s how to win life! 🤦🏽♀️
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) March 10, 2018
Everything Jamil says here makes a lot of sense. While Kardashian's advice may have been well-intentioned, it's predicated on the damaging idea that looking "thin af" is the same thing as looking your best, or simply looking attractive. Bodies come in many different shapes and sizes, and all of them can look great in photos (and real life, of course), regardless of whether they appear "thin af" or not.
Jamil's also right to remind us that we can always unfollow someone whose Instagram posts makes us feel uncomfortable or inferior in any way. If you need something to put the fun back into your Instagram feed, allow me to recommend @tasteofstreep. It's an account which Photoshops images of Meryl Streep into various food items (spag bol, bagels, cupcakes, etc.) and it's total genius.
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