Jameela Jamil: 'Being weighed at school was the minute my eating disorder started'

Jameela Jamil opened up about how being weighed at primary school affected her perception of her weight.

She wrote on Twitter:

Being weighed at school was truly the minute my eating disorder started at 12. I can trace it back to that exact day.

Jamil was responding to the controversial proposal to monitor children's weight in primary schools post-lockdown, which was discussed on The Jeremy Vine Show.

She also hit out at the Body Mass Index (BMI), a system of categorising people's weight that has long been criticised for failing to properly take into account height and muscle density.

The parameters categorising a person as overweight, underweight or "normal weight" are also arbitrary.

Since 2018, Jamil has run an Instagram page called 'I Weigh'. It purpose is to showcase photos of women that aren't edited or airbrushed in order to encourage people to re-examine existing beauty standards.

She has also criticised other celebrities including Cardi B and the Kardashian sisters for promoting diet shakes and appetite supplements.

Jamil has discussed her eating disorder publicly before, saying that she "missed my teens/20s" because of body dysmorphia. She also says that she weighed herself every day for twenty years as she struggled with her self-image.

On social media, people applauded Jamil for speaking out.

If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: the BEAT helpline on 0808 801 0677​ or Mind on 0300 123 3393​.

Alternatively, NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.ukor call 0845 838 2040.