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Jameela Jamil is a social advocate and celebrity personality that has accomplished a lot in her career. From speaking on the Senate floor to hosting and starring in several tv shows, the star has built a platform for herself that she uses to further discussions on many social issues. Most prominently, she is the CEO of the iWeigh movement which promotes cultural wellness through preaching a message of body neutrality. Body neutrality is the concept that one can move through life without having to focus on their body. It allows individuals to value themselves outside of their physical being and the movement specifically encourages people to weigh themselves according to their accomplishments, life experiences, and values.
The iWeigh movement started as an Instagram page that sought to provide a safe space that promoted radical inclusivity of all body types. The Instagram is still live and thriving. It promotes ideas of self-acceptance and love through empowering stories and helpful graphics; anyone can follow the page by searching @iWeigh. Additionally, Jameela hosts a podcast called iWeigh in which she hosts a new guest every week to give an open and honest perspective on a societal issue that Jameela is passionate about. Some of my favorites include the two episodes with Dr. Jen Gunter, the episode with Roxanne Gay, and the episode with Phoebe Robinson. At the end of each episode Jameela asks the guests to say what they weigh. This is usually an unacceptable question that very few would agree to answer on a podcast. However, Jameela is not asking for the guests to divulge their weight in pounds or kilos. Instead, she is looking for them to give a definition of what things define them.
For example, Nikol Bloom answered that she weighs, “Empathy, education, wellness, positivity, and drive.” This reframing of the anxiety evoking concept of one’s weight is freeing and I encourage everyone reading this to practice answering the question themselves. My answer is that I weigh my empathy. I weigh my relationships with my family, my partner, and myself. I weigh my work ethic. I weigh my friends. I could go on and the beauty is that this is a question with an answer that will continue to evolve throughout one’s life. I ask myself this question very often, especially before I actually weigh myself. It is such an important mindset to remind myself what I am in addition to the physical space I occupy.
I encourage anyone reading this blog to check out the iWeigh podcast and to leave a comment saying what you weigh.
Jasmyne Post is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2021. She is studying English and political science at the University of Louisville.