British actress and activist Jameela Jamil has made it quite clear that she won’t stay quiet when it comes to the unrealistic body expectations imposed on people, specifically women and girls and for good reason.
In her Instagram post, Jameela revealed the toxic consequences of unrealistic expectations, showing exactly how they can take a toll on both your physical and mental health. Jameela posted a photo of one of her tweets in which she called out other celebrities for promoting unhealthy and potentially harmful “detox” teas and shakes, saying, “Give us the discount codes to your nutritionists, personal chefs, personal trainers, airbrushers and plastic surgeons, you bloody liars.”
In her Instagram caption, Jameela noted how celebrities pushing products that claim to make you look a certain way can be mentally and physically harmful to their fans.
She further exhausted her frustration and said, “I am so sick of the lies. I was so riddled with eating disorders when I was young. I listened to irresponsible celebrities and bought all these bad products and followed their terrible and toxic diet tips for how they maintained the tiny weight they were… and I f*cked up my metabolism and digestive system for life,” she wrote. “I damaged my fertility, I was consumed and mentally ill. I was obsessed and didn’t eat a meal for over three years as a growing teen. I am not going to stop until we teach people to be better allies to women and stop selling this not at all medically sound sh*t and rhetoric to us.”
Experts have gone on record saying these one-stop weight loss products not only don’t work, but can actually be harmful to your health. But as Jameela explained, the idea that people should look a certain way and the celebrities that reinforce those ideals can also lead to sinister effects. Jamil also reflects on research that has shown that teen girls compare their bodies to those of celebrities and that comparison can make them feel inadequate.
Beyond that, research has also shown that women exposed to images that portray thinness as ideal may be more likely to exhibit symptoms of an eating disorder.