Jameela Jamil on Rejecting Beauty & Embracing Controversy

Content Warning: This conversation contains themes of disordered eating and child abuse

Jameela Jamil is among the most beautiful public figures who hold some of the strongest anti-beauty sentiments. She was scouted for television while walking down the street and later hired to host a series on Channel 4. As she shares in the episode, this role reinforced many of the harmful patriarchal standards about women’s beauty and bodies that she learned as a child. Jameela shares that she didn’t feel beautiful growing up, and despite her early beauty icons being voluptuous women of color, she held herself to an unnatural standard of thinness and battled anorexia to achieve it. Her ascent into the public eye only exacerbated her struggles with her weight. By her late twenties, she began to question why she was being held to such rigid expectations by fashion media execs who couldn’t meet them; ultimately, she decided to fight back.

Since then, Jameela has made a name for herself as an actress, public figure, and outspoken advocate for women’s rights. During our conversation, we discussed personal growth and why women must meet their own high standards, whether men like it or not, including her partner. Jameela doesn’t hold back when it comes to ageism in fashion and politics, and the detrimental impact of AI on our ability to distinguish reality from virtual reality. We talk about her time on The Good Place and how Ted Danson helped make her debut performance so strong. Jameela lays out why she believes public figures have a role in advocating for transparency in costs and recovery of major cosmetic procedures. She also makes it clear that she is comfortable learning and growing publicly, so long as she leads with care and facts. 

Tune in as we discuss:

(1:58) Her Not Feeling Beautiful Growing Up

(3:17) Her Beauty Icons (Including Whoopi Goldberg & Sophia Loren)

(4:35) How Whiteness Informs Body Standards In The Global South

(5:50) She Was Introduced To Body Shame At School & Forced Into Dieting

(10:03) How Being On Television Reinforced Anorexia

( 11:25) Women Who Internalize & Uphold Patriarchy

(12:15) The Irony That Unattractive People Set Beauty Standards In Fashion

(13:15) Designers Prove Their Talent By Designing for Diverse Bodies 

(16:25) Obsession With Childlike Bodies In Fashion & Politics

(19:20) Why Men Are Terrified By Powerful Women

(21:08) On Living With Her Partner & Their Friends

(21:35) She & Her Partner Have Strong Individual Identities

(24:00) Men Are Naturally More Submissive Than Women

(28:25) Uniform Cosmetic Dentistry in LA Was Shocking

(29:48) The Dangers of AI Diminishing Our Ability to Distinguish Real From Fake 

(31:25) On Pretty Privilege While Being An Advocate for Safe Beauty

(36:00) A Detailed Run-Down of The Dangers Of Plastic Surgery

(42:45) The Good Place & How Ted Danson Helped Her Performance 

(43:24) Why She Created The IWeigh Platform

(45:00) Shuttering IWeigh Because People Were No Longer Receptive

(50:32) What Roles Public Figures Have In Activism  

(53:05) On Growing Publicly & Without Shame

(57:45) How She Maintains Her Well-Being

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Products Mentioned:

• K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
• Charlotte Tillbury Long-Lasting Eyeliner Pencil
• Charlotte Tillbury Magic Serum Crystal Elixer

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