Body positivity activist Jameela Jamil has posted a picture of her cellulite on Instagram, as part of the small but growing #instagramrealitychallenge.
Encouraging people to “love every inch”, the actress, presenter and founder of the I Weigh movement, hit back at “toxic influencers showing airbrushed photos and perpetuating weight loss rhetoric, as well as freaking people out about their weight gain from no exercise and dietary changes”.
“Don’t worry about losing weight right now in this moment... just survive,” the self-dubbed “feminist-in-progress” concluded. The post garnered nearly 200,000 likes in nine hours.
Since the global coronavirus pandemic began, Jamil has been a vocal critic of the “fatphobic narratives” being pushed on social media, which incite people to worry about how much weight they will put on during self isolation, as their eating habits change and they are less able to exercise.
“You do not, and I cannot stress this enough, need to come out of quarantine looking ‘better’ then when you went into it,” said a post on the I Weigh Instagram account, which now has one million followers.
“I know everyone else is dealing with this the way they need to, but just know it’s ok if you don’t come out of this period of self-isolation with a ‘beach body’ or a new business or the best mental health. We are navigating new waters. Take a breath. Take a break.”
As part of the #instagramrealitychallenge, women around the world are posting pictures that show the realities of existing in the current crisis. "What my work day consists of: Morning pjs. No make-up. That awkward pimple from binging on Twix from extreme stress and anxiety. Some people are taking this time to start their business, learn a new language or even take up a new hobby. Me? I'm trying my hardest to keep it together," writes one.
“I don’t have time to press my hair and put on makeup,” shares another. “I’m lucky if I shower and change outfits more than twice a week and sleep hasn’t exactly been easy lately. Does that make me a bad woman or a bad mom? I don't think so.
"In a weird way, it’s totally refreshing to see how many other people are feeling and looking the same, and sharing those stories – real, raw, and unedited – on social media.”
