if there’s one thing you can say about Jameela Jamil, it’s that she does not skirt around the uncomfortable stuff. Whether it’s calling out Hollywood’s impossible beauty standards, wading into political controversies that other celebrities might shy away from, or matter-of-factly telling poo stories on talk shows, what you see is what you get with Jamil.
Those are just some of the reasons she now has a following of 4.5 million on Instagram and TikTok. There, you get activism, memes, cute dog videos and a totally unbiased account of Hollywood life from someone who is living amongst it; Jamil has lived in LA with her boyfriend, singer and producer James Blake, since 2016 and is friends with celebrities such as her The Good Place co-star Ted Danson and talk show host Conan O’Brien.
Despite having gone from T4 host to Hollywood star, Jamil, 37, is very much the ultimate anti-celebrity, constantly sharing tales of impostor syndrome or being ‘normal’ in very un-normal scenarios, for example, wearing jeans under her Golden Globes dress in 2019 so she wasn’t cold. This anti-celeb status goes hand in hand with the fact she is actively trying to deconstruct some of Hollywood’s most problematic elements from within; via her I Weigh movement and podcast, she has been on a mission to redefine how we ourselves – and the media – talk about bodies and self- worth, since 2018.
Today, we are sitting down to talk about her new plans for I Weigh. She’s hosting a live event in London this January, which aims to counteract the toxic ‘New Year, New You’ messaging we get inundated with at this time of year. ‘It’s called #MoveForYourMind,’ Jamil tells me from her home, scooting her two dogs outside as we settle down to chat.
The event is designed to create an inclusive space for anyone to come along and take part in group exercise activities without feeling judged (there will be no mirrors, no filming, and you can work out in baggy clothes’, she says, something she finds helpful when exercising as the focus is taken off how you look in traditional workout clothes) as well as listen to panel talks. It is movement for your mental health, as opposed to movement to lose weight, explains Jamil, adding, ‘We are completely ignoring the weight loss conversation and turning this all into “How can we make you feel as empowered and happy as possible?”’
The idea was born last year when she was training for her role as Titania in She Hulk, alongside Mark Ruffalo. ‘I always loathed exercise – to me, it’s always been something that I associated with weight loss, because of my eating disorder, and something I would do to punish myself for having dared to eat food. I’ve had a very toxic relationship with exercise. And then during She Hulk I was forced to train every single day for six months to get bigger and stronger, which was great because it reframed my brain around exercise, because I wasn’t trying to get smaller, I was trying to improve my balance and improve my strength. It had such a profound impact on my mental health that I radically changed as a person. I had a lighter mood, I was sleeping better without any kind of pills.’
YOU HAVE TO EAT A BAKERY OF HUMBLE PIE... EVERYONE’S GOT AN OPINION
Jameela Jamil
Now, Jamil says, she wants to campaign to make exercise inclusive, at a time when going to the gym can feel intimidating. ‘I feel a little pissed off with how exercise has been turned into this exclusive club when it’s supposed to be for everyone. We were never supposed to charge people hundreds of pounds a month to join a fancy gym and charge them 60 quid for a pair of very thin leggings that you can see, you know, your clitoris through,’ she says. ‘We are fighting the idea of perfection: you don’t have to have the perfect form, you don’t have to have the perfect amount of time, you don’t have to have the perfect outfit, all you have to do is show up for yourself– not to be a billboard for everyone else. It’s just about your brain. Exercise is just still so obsessively about the outside, and the effects on how you look, when the benefits on the inside are so vitally important.’
The messaging at this time of year can be damaging, says Jameela, which was why this felt like the perfect time to host #MoveForYourMind. ‘Everyone is encouraged to “eat up” at Christmas. And then they’re told that it’s time for punishment and deprivation, and in January you have to live like a monk to atone for your sins of daring to enjoy things. And don’t get me started about getting “beach body ready” for summer.’
Jamil first highlighted the impact that celebrities such as the Kardashians could have by advertising products such as weight loss teas, describing Kim as a ‘terrible and toxic influence on young girls’ in 2018 when she touted appetite suppressant lollies on her Instagram. Those products have almost disappeared from influencers’ profiles thanks to Jamil’s spotlight on their damaging effects, but it hasn’t been an easy ride. Being critical from within the celebrity sphere can be awkward and she has received backlash, to put it mildly, along the way for speaking out about things she’s passionate about – but she says she’s grown up a lot in the last year or so.
‘It just takes a little bit of humbling,’ she says. ‘You have to eat a bakery of humble pie to deal with the fact that everyone’s got an opinion. And if you’re going to share your opinion, you have to be willing to hear everyone else’s opinions back. And I don’t think trolling is ever acceptable, but I think the genuine criticism I’ve received online has completely reformed me as a person and made me a better and more thoughtful and more careful person. I’m quite grateful for that. I’ve grown so much for the fact that people who have in good faith called me and been like, you’re not approaching this in the right way. And I’ve really changed demonstrably online.’
One topic that Jamil has still been very vocal about, however, is the worrying return of ‘super-skinny’ in 2023, and the use of Ozempic, a diabetes drug that has weight-loss properties, among the A-list. ‘It’s been quite heartbreaking, watching such an extraordinary rise of unhealthy attitudes towards bodies again after it felt like so much progress had been made. It really made me feel depressed, especially at the start of the year. It has struck me that a lot of the narrative around these weight-loss injections has been that you get the results without the sweat, that we still look at exercise as this punishment. The idea of “no pain, no gain” is such a horrible, outdated, stupid fucking slogan that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t feel any pain. When I’m exercising, I do things that are gentle and good for me and sustainable. I’ll go for a 15-minute walk or dance in my kitchen.’ Jamil hopes the trend won’t last. ‘It’s not sustainable. I think as quickly as it came in, it’s gonna go out again,’ she says.
After some tumultuous years, which included a breast cancer scare, a journey with health condition Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (something she shares to spread awareness), as well as periods of depression, Jamil says she is now in the happiest place she has ever been. ‘I have never felt so mentally well, yeah,’ she says. ‘I’ve never felt happier. I’ve never felt more in control of my life – it’s a wonderful feeling.’
Join Jameela Jamil and I Weigh for #MoveForYourMind on 19 January at Park Village in Camden, London. Visit iweighmoves.com for tickets