Jameela Jamil has revealed that she won't be approving any more airbrushed photos of herself, even in promotional materials for The Good Place.
Sharing an unretouched image of herself alongside her co-stars, the actress wrote on Twitter: "Finally able to INSIST my image, even on billboards isn’t ever airbrushed.
"I get backfat in Every. Single. Bra. And I used to hide/bin so many photos because of “muffin tops.” Double chins/ “imperfections” because I never saw them on people on TV. #freethebackfat #letabitchlive"
Finally able to INSIST my image, even on billboards isn’t ever airbrushed. I get backfat in Every. Single. Bra. And I used to hide/bin so many photos because of “muffin tops.” Double chins/ “imperfections” because I never saw them on people on TV.#freethebackfat #letabitchlive pic.twitter.com/UkqpbSOzT0
— Jameela Jamil ? (@jameelajamil) August 10, 2019
Jamil, who suffered from anorexia for several years as a teenager, added in a follow-up tweet: "I’m aware this isn’t some huge victory, and not 'brave', but as someone who had such obsessive body dysmorphia and was so fixated on the embarrassment of what we perceive as 'flaws' this is just a little win for little anorexic teenage me."
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She also called on fellow celebrities to join her in refusing to let images of themselves be airbrushed, saying: "We have to stop setting standards for others that we ourselves don’t even meet."
In the last couple of years, Jamil has used her profile to call out the "toxic bullshit" that often surrounds women's weight. In March 2018 she launched the @i_weigh Instagram account, which shares photos of women celebrating how they "weigh" their self-worth in terms of wellbeing, achievements and personal relationships instead of the numbers they see on a set of scales.
In an new interview published today, the actress explained why she has taken such a firm stance when it comes to airbrushing and body positivity.
“I would feel very guilty being in an industry that is destroying the mental health of so many young people if I wasn’t whistleblowing all the nonsense,” she told The Sunday Times. “I’ve been used as a vessel to make other people feel bad about themselves in the past. I’ve been airbrushed and thinned out and told not to tell my secrets.”
Later in the interview, Jamil shared her thoughts on why not everyone appreciates her brand of activism, which has involved criticising fellow female celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Cardi B and Iggy Azalea who have promoted appetite-suppressing lollipops and laxative teas.
They got Cardi B on the laxative nonsense “detox” tea. GOD I hope all these celebrities all shit their pants in public, the way the poor women who buy this nonsense upon their recommendation do. Not that they actually take this shit. They just flog it because they need MORE MONEY pic.twitter.com/OhmTjjWVOp
— Jameela Jamil ? (@jameelajamil) November 24, 2018
“A lot of people who support a cause do it very performatively and I think that’s perhaps why people don’t support me,” Jamil said. “The irony is that people think I’m doing this for my career. I’ve definitely alienated people and lost huge campaigns. I have a huge Instagram following. Can you imagine how much I would make from selling toxic shit to young people on Instagram? Honestly, I’ve probably lost millions over the past few years from having principles.”