And no, we’re not talking about kilograms, stones or pounds
Actress and presenter Jameela Jamil has started a campaign, "I Weigh", and we’re really onboard with it.
Jameela says she wants to inspire women not to focus on the way they look. The idea is to celebrate people’s achievements (rather than physical attributes) as what makes us who we are. The idea is that our weight in the world is more than what we weigh on a set of scales.
Jameela told BBC Newsbeat, "Every minute we spend thinking about how thin and gorgeous and perfect we aren't, is a moment that we aren't thinking about growing our business or our education, or our family or the fun in our lives."
As someone in the public eye, Jameela has had her share of body shaming abuse. Of course, she isn’t the first person to encourage us to stop focusing on the way we look, but her approach to the campaign is fresh and inclusive.
Her campaign was born out of anger - from seeing an Instagram account with hundreds of thousands of followers that posted a picture of the Kardashian sisters, next to how much they all weighed. Jameela's response to this post turned out to be the start of I Weigh - where she encourages people to post positive messages that don't relate to their appearance.
"I weigh: lovely relationship, great friends, I laugh every day, I love my job, I make an honest living, I’m financially independent, I speak out for women’s rights, I like my bingo wings, I like myself in spite of EVERYTHING I’ve been taught by the media to hate myself about."
I’m on the war path. pic.twitter.com/A3zC6yTB6G
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) February 23, 2018
Following this post, she set up a standalone Instagram account for the campaign, which already has over 11,000 followers and has been given the verification seal from Instagram (the blue tick). The account adds to the growing number of supportive and empowering Instagram accounts, fighting back against the myriad of posts presenting a diet culture-reinforcing highlight reel (that we’re all sick to the back teeth of).
Personally, I love the juxtaposition of it all: “Hey, here’s me taking a selfie. But here are all the other things I love about me, that I think you should love too.” In a selfie-obsessed world, it’s a campaign that’s got legs.
The campaign’s success has been a surprise for Jameela because of the lack of trolling it has received - and the inspiring posts she's been sent.
"Women are just going: 'I'm struggling, and that is part of what makes me a beautiful and worthwhile individual, and these are all the things that I love that have nothing to do with my exterior.'"
I encourage you to take part in the campaign too, and let the world know just how proud you are of how much you weigh. Submit your own contributions by tagging your photos with handle the @I_Weigh.
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com
