By Sure, Jameela Jamil could have moved to Hollywood, made a decent living as a TV star in the likes of The Good Place and be done with it. Instead, she’s been on a crusade for much of her career to challenge the tyranny of unattainable beauty standards.
The I Weigh community, which she started in 2018, began as a way to champion women’s worth beyond aesthetics. The 35-year-old has since amassed a legion of loyal followers, becoming a whistleblower for revolutionary self-acceptance and winning major victories along the way, including a new Instagram policy on the promotion of weight-loss products. Pretty incredible.
‘I can’t participate in this industry and not try to disrupt it, otherwise I’m failing my 12-year-old self,’ Jameela tells me on a video call from Los Angeles. It’s morning there and she’s at home with her puppy, Barold. ‘It’s my duty to be transparent for the next generation of girls. Everything I do is for them.’
It’s this passion that caught the attention of Tommy Hilfiger. The fashion house launched Moving Forward Together, a mission to build a better future, and promptly made Jameela an ambassador. She showcases Hilfiger’s spring/summer 2021 collection, created with a range of sustainable materials, in our shoot – the perfect accompaniment to her progressive voice.
My activism began when I was publically fat-shamed
‘At 26, I made history as the first solo female presenter of the Radio 1 Official Chart Show. The only thing being reported on, however, was my weight gain. Why should I be a particular body shape when there are no size requirements for using your voice on the radio? I was approached to sign diet deals and instead I went to the House of Commons to speak about how the media treats women. It was a real “Fuck this!” moment and I became incessantly vocal. Nine years later, I still refuse to shut up.’
Women have been convinced to adhere to an impossible aesthetic
‘As an entire gender, we’re given a dossier – updated every decade – of what we’re supposed to look like. Big tits, tiny waist, long legs, big bottom, thigh gap. You must have a thin face but look eternally young. You should have thick, luscious hair despite the fact you’re barely eating enough to have thick, luscious hair because you’re trying so hard to have a thin body and skinny face.
‘It’s a deliberately impossible riddle, while airbrushing is convincing us that it is possible. How can we become an equal gender when we’re spending all this time worrying about our appearance? We’re deliberately distracted away from how amazing our bodies are because there’s a fear we might actually respect our bodies. And if we respect them, we’ll stop spending money on trying to fix what they’ve told us is broken.’
I choose not to negotiate with the terrorist in my head
‘We hold the power to shift the dynamic and no longer be a billboard for the patriarchy. You can choose to interrupt a thought pattern, you can choose what you say out loud, you can choose not to compliment a friend on her weight loss, you can choose not to talk shit about yourself, you can choose not to marinate in self-doubt. Yes, women are conditioned to do all of this, but there is always a choice. I now stand up for myself – wherever I am standing, if it’s at home or in a supermarket – and say, “No, you cannot talk to me like that.”’
I Weigh is a safe place for everyone
‘I created I Weigh by accident three years ago and I’m so proud to have been able to take something toxic and turn it into allyship. It’s now a community of kindness; there’s no judgement, no trolling. We’re educating ourselves together, trying to make a lasting impact by fighting for a change in legislation, and giving a platform to other marginalised communities. Gloria Steinem asks the pivotal question, “Who are you going to lunch with?”, and my dream is to bring these people together so we can actually have lunch with one another as a peaceful collective.’
Tommy Hilfiger’s campaign is a lesson in progress not perfection
‘What I love about Tommy Hilfiger’s spring/summer 2021 campaign is the diverse cast of activists, from Indya Moore to Mogli, without a sense of being tokenised. The brand invested in our messages, asking us to not only model the clothes, but give free educational online courses through FutureLearn. Hilfiger is consistently striving to make a positive difference, from having Black trans women fronting a campaign to women of different sizes and ages on the runway. That’s very rare, but if a giant heritage brand can make an effort, so can everyone else.’
I want to wear clothes that will be cherished and shared for years to come
‘Sustainability is something that we all need to be more aware of, so it’s brilliant that the Hilfiger collection features a range of more sustainable materials and production techniques. These are clothes that I will wear forever, from the pink raincoat to the white suit, and a big part of being responsible is not participating in fashion that will end up in a dumpster. I always ask myself, “Will I be wearing this aged 80?” – because I want to be that old woman with white hair and wrinkles wearing a hot pink floral suit and manspreading on the Tube. That’s the end goal!’
Makeup by Jameela Jamil, hair by Robert Lopez and production (US) by Wei-Li Wang
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Discover Tommy Hilfiger’s spring/summer 2021 collection at tommy.com
