Jameela Jamil “Will Work With Any Brand Except The Diet Industry – Do Not Approach” — Cannes Lions

deadline.com:

Jameela Jamil – actress, writer, podcaster – has said she will work with any brand “as long as they’re not in the diet industry – in that case, please do not approach.” Speaking at Cannes Lions, Jamil expanded on her reasons for avoiding working with companies selling diet products: “I’m not interested in yet another project that is going to restrict a woman’s freedom in how she feels and make her feel bad about herself.

I want her to build her mental health,” she said. “The brands I’m interested in working with are those that help women sleep better, or move faster, or technology that get mostly advertised on men’s podcasts.

Food – give us food. I want to remind women to eat, I don’t want to sell diet products that tell women to stop eating. I don’t want to be yet another reminder that women need to restrict and show their discipline via what their bodies look like.” The Good Place star said “progress has to be incremental,” adding: “If you haven’t been progressive throughout the entire history of your brand, that’s okay.” Instead of the diet industry, Jamil said she wants to engage with brands “that I could meaningfully talk about,” even if they are “problematic.” Jamil has for the past two years hosted the podcast I Weigh, which she calls a safe space for mental health and social justice.

She spoke of her plans to use this platform, plus her Instagram account, to expand what she calls “a fitness movement,” with its focus on “growing mental health in a way that feels accessible.” Asked about her forthcoming role in Pixar movie Elio and other acting roles including that of Tahani Al-Jamil in NBC’s The Good Place, specifically how this fits in with her social activism, Jamil explained: “All people hold multitudes.