Listening to Jameela Jamil talk about her philosophy on womanhood, success, and inclusion is like taking a breath of the freshest air you’ve ever inhaled. She’s unlike anyone else in Hollywood, sharing her fears and failures like badges of honor and taking down the patriarchy along the way. When she left the stage at our Desert Pop Up event this past weekend, we sat in awe processing everything she’d just laid out on the table. Lucky for you, we took notes—and some of our favorite takeaways from her keynote are below. Scroll through for inspiration from a woman who’s had enough of the status quo and is fighting to make the world a better place for all of us—both on Instagram and off…and go listen to her WorkParty episode for more!
“Trying is winning. I think we put too much emphasis on what we think success is. There’s so much to be had in just trying, and that’s where the real guts come from.”
“If you’re going to be an activist or feminist, you have to be willing to take an L and know that we don’t know everything. We have to be willing to shut up, listen, and learn, and not be too proud about it.”
“We’re all feminists in progress who said weird problematic shit when we were younger, and now we’re all growing up and out of it. We’re having to unlearn so much of our own internalized misogyny, and we have to not shame each other for that.”
“I am done with the idea of the “icon.” I want an icon I can relate to and see myself in.”
“I was told I was too old, too fat, and too ethnic for Hollywood, but I’m here today. Don’t listen to people who project their fears on you.”
“The next generation is f*cking done being excluded and looking up to a white straight thin version of what we are supposed to be. We’re done with the dinosaurs…and I’m here to kill the last of them.”
“It pays to include minorities, so do it.”
“If a man is attractive, it’s considered a bonus. For us, it’s the basic foundation of our worth. We have to be the Victoria’s Secret model, but they just have to be successful enough to fuck the Victoria’s Secret model.”
“I am done with the idea of the “icon.” I want an icon I can relate to and see myself in.”
“I weigh the sum of all my motherf*cking parts.”
“Stop being so worried about being fucking likable—it’s not your responsibility to make people happy.”
“All the things we want are readily available to us; we just don’t know we’re allowed to ask for them.”
“Build yourself up from the inside. Go to therapy! Spend all the money you’d spend on bullshit face creams on saving yourself first. You are the most important person in every way.”
“I have a strong elimination diet around anyone that brings toxicity into my circle.”
“The amount that all of us, especially women of color, have been through is ridiculous. You are walking miracles.”
“Make space, don’t take space. We’re told there’s room for one, but that’s a lie. There’s room for loads of us.”
“This is now a time of sisterhood. Seeing how high my activism has risen, seeing how I’ve been embraced for being so outspoken, so rude—-by even the media and men—-is a sign that change is here.”
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