By Sandy
Published on December 24, 2021, Updated on December 24, 2021
All About Jameela Jamil's Weight Loss Obsession, Weight Gain, Insecurities & Body Positivity Movement. Photo credit: Instagram/jameelajamilofficial
Jamil has always been open about her own body image and health issues. Back in 2018, she revealed that she gained 70 pounds weight because of an unidentified illness.
Along with her weight gain, Jamil has always been candid about her weight loss obsession, insecurities, and her body positivity movement. Continue reading to learn more in detail!
In 2018, Jamil tweeted two photos of her body during the weight gain. She announced that she gained almost 70 pounds, caused by an invisible illness.
View this post on Instagram
In the same post, she also shared that the weight gain prompted her to start a plus-size clothing line. She launched Size-Inclusive Clothing Line in collaboration with Simply Be in 2015.
Jamil later revealed that she eventually lost weight after going off steroids for asthma.
In 2019, Jamil described her previous obsession with her body weight as a “horrifying waste of happiness.”
The British DJ was obsessed with losing weight to the point where she weighed herself every day until 2018, and her mood was influenced by the numbers on the scales.
After struggling with an eating disorder, the 35-year-old has called for an end to the demands placed on young females that lead to insecurity. She told Stylist magazine:
“That’s 21 fucking years of waking up every morning and my entire mood for the day being determined by the number on a stupid little machine in my bathroom.”
She continued:
“What a horrifying waste of happiness. What a horrifying waste of time. What a sad thing for a bright girl, who technically knew better, to keep as her deep, dark secret for so long.”
Jamil had insecurities about her body weight from an early age. Her insecurities started when she was publicly weighed in school and discovered to be the heaviest in her class. Her parents were not supportive at home, although they did put her on a crash diet to help her lose weight.
Her obsession grew more intense during her teenage years, resulting in serious weight loss, bedsores, a weakening heart, and thyroid issues. She said:
“I was depressed. I was weak. I was in chaos.”
“People have made me look white in so many of the magazines and campaigns I’ve shot for… it hurts my feelings.”
Jameela Jamil says cultural pressures to look a certain way led to an eating disorder in her teens, in the latest Ways to Change the World podcast. pic.twitter.com/umHrXTzcQA
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) August 29, 2018
Jamil, who became an #AerieReal role model in 2019, believes that the pressure on young girls to look thinner started long before social media.
Referring to women’s magazines, The Good Place star claimed:
“Diet culture was on an aggressive rampage, using fat-shaming, Photoshop and erasure of all curves to pressure us into buying dodgy quick-fix slimming products. This all fucked me up as a young person – and I didn’t grow up with social media.”
Jamil has had dragged celebrities like the Kardashians, Cardi B, and Amber Rose for promoting unhealthy weight-loss products to their followers.
Jamil started the “iWeigh” campaign on Instagram to counteract such promotion of negative body image. The movement highlights women revealing how they truly estimate their value.
According to CNN, Instagram conferred with Jamil on its restrictions on weight-loss ads as a result of her dedication to the issue. In 2019, changes were made to the Instagram policy to prohibit advertising for weight loss products and cosmetic procedures on the feeds of users under the age of 18.
(References from huffingtonpost.co.uk, revelist.com, cnn.com, stylist.co.uk)