Mike Schur’s sitcom The Good Place made waves in 2016 with its twist ending to season one. The show initially gained popularity largely on account of stars Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, but since then has put other formerly lesser known actors in the spotlight. Among them is Jameela Jamil, formerly a radio presenter in Britain, who plays wealthy socialite Tahani Al-Jamil. 

Jamil has used her fame to champion many causes, but weight inequality is by far her most prominent. She has openly discussed her past with anorexia and how it affected her mental state, with depression leading to a suicide attempt six years ago. Her candidness about body issues and mental health is rare, especially among celebrities. She has rebuffed airbrushing and diet products, especially those sold by influencers such as the Kardashians to often young audiences. Jamil recently shared a picture of a billboard for The Good Place in which she was able to demand that her arm fat from her strapless dress not be airbrushed out.

Although the major craze today is body positivity, Jamil has found a different route: body neutrality. This philosophy states that you don’t have to “love” your body because it is a part of you. It gets you from place to place and hugs the people you love. Instead of forcing yourself to love every part of yourself completely, body negativity posits that it is healthier not to constantly have an opinion about your body.

In keeping with this philosophy, Jamil started the movement “I Weigh” on Instagram. The page consists not only of body positivity posts from Jamil but also allows people to submit photos of themselves edited with what they “weigh” in a figurative sense. Multiple celebrities such as Jonathan Van Ness and Jamil’s costar Kristen Bell have submitted posts alongside average citizens. The page aims to take the focus off weight and put it on more important qualities. Jamil has also used the platform in tandem with her personal account to fight against unjust policies such as Instagram allowing dieting products to be marketed to minors, which they revoked at her request.

Jameela Jamil is an important voice in the body neutrality movement. Her crusade against body shaming has sparked much needed change.