My Bag

Hello

My name is Jameela Jamil. Welcome To I Weigh Community.

Two years ago we started an Instagram account to try to create a safe and radically inclusive space on social media. A lot of us want to help others and change the world for the better, but don’t know where to start.

Activism can seem daunting. Sometimes it’s just hard and lonely. At I Weigh Community, we don’t believe it has to be that way. We believe in brick-by-brick activism, and making a difference in large numbers. We’re going to have to come together and do this as one to really shift the narrative of our society.

I Weigh Community will introduce you to new voices, artists, activists and movements. These are the people we believe we need to listen to. We are still learning, and we’re inviting you to come and learn alongside us so we can all grow together. It’s never too late to want to help and understand each other better.

This movement is so important to me, and I look forward to getting to know you all.

Love,
Jam x

ALOK

Indian-American writer, performance artist, and media personality ALOK joins Jameela this week to discuss all things Trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary, the problem with those who are gender-critical & TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), and how to be a better ally to those that are shunned by the rest of the world.

Danny Wallace

Comedian, filmmaker, and author Danny Wallace joins Jameela this week to discuss how his book Yes Man changed her life, the culture of rudeness, parenting young children, what its like being an only child. Check out Danny Wallace’s book, Fuck You Very Much, wherever books are sold.

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  • Britteny Floyd-Mayo (@trapyogabae)

    Yoga instructor, mindset coach, and all-around game changer Britteny Floyd-Mayo joins Jameela this week to discuss how she is creating more space for people of color and diverse body shapes in the world of yoga, to share a few of her “ratchet affirmations,” explain how she has healed and thrived despite years of physical and sexual abuse, and consider the power of forgiving oneself.

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  • Dr. Vivek Murthy – Re-release

    After what can only be described as a very lonely year, we want to re-release our episode with the former and upcoming Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and where he discusses loneliness with Jameela. They cover how widespread the problem of loneliness is, Western culture’s tendency to give too much space, social media’s role with loneliness, and how to foster connectivity.

    Vivek Murthy’s book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World is out now!

  • Listen on Earwolf
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  • Celeste Barber

    Comedian and actor Celeste Barber joins Jameela this week to discuss Celeste’s astoundingly successful fundraiser to fight the Australian fires last spring, her relationship and experience with antidepressants, how to quarantine with a spouse and still love them (hint – imagine they are dead and how sad you would be), her delightful instagram parodies of instagram influencer/model photos with #celestechallengeaccepted, and challenging Instagram’s double standards when it comes to censoring female bodies.

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  • Dr. Deepika Chopra

    The Optimism Doctor – Dr. Deepika Chopra – joins Jameela this week to define optimism, discuss visualization vs manifestation, explain healthy expectations and ways to manage your thoughts, explore how much can be gained through learning from mistakes, go over why she hates the phrase “good vibes only,” and tell the story of her surrogacy journey.

    You can listen to Dr. Deepika Chopra’s podcast, Looking Up with Dr. Deepika Chopra, wherever you get your podcasts.

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  • Margaret Cho

    Stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and all-around game changer Margaret Cho joins Jameela this week to discuss her experience as an Asian-American woman in the industry, growing up with “aspirational whiteness,” her struggles with eating disorders, working as a dominatrix, and loving living alone.

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  • Dawn O’Porter

    Author, director, and TV presenter Dawn O’Porter joins Jameela to discuss their friendship and how they first met, Dawn’s experience having her partner Chris O’Dowd experience a career high while hers was at a low, discovering you are “the girl next door,” loving work and loving being a mother, honest conversations with her sons, and her new book Life In Pieces.

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  • Josie Naughton

    This week, Jameela is joined by Josie Naughton, the CEO and one of the founding members of Choose Love – a charity dedicated to ending the refugee crisis. Together they discuss the harrowing journey a refugee makes and the challenges they face in the camps, Josie’s past and how anyone can make a difference, meeting Oprah and the pope, the Choose Love shops where you can buy needed supplies for a refugee, and how to make a change on a personal and a political level.

    For more information, go to https://www.instagram.com/chooselove

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  • Seyi Akiwowo

    Seyi Akiwowo, Founder and Executive Director of Glitch, joins Jameela this week to discuss what it means to be a “digital citizen,” being trauma-informed not trauma-led, self-care for black women, the way’s both Seyi and Jameela have learned from their own internet mistakes, and the Glitch’s work in training women how to be safe online as well as challenging giant social media corporations to take more ownership of what happens on their sites.

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  • Dr. Jen Gunter

    This week, we are thankful for vaginas, labias, and vulvas with author and gynecologist Dr. Jen Gunter. She joins Jameela to answer questions about the history of misunderstanding vaginas, the do’s and don’ts of feminine hygiene, how to handle pap smears, a gynecological view on both abortions and WAP, and Dr. Jen Gunter’s book, The Vagina Bible.

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  • Aubrey Gordon (@YrFatFriend)

    The BMI, dealing with fatphobia in a doctor’s office, and how to have good-faith conversations – all things author, podcaster, and activist Aubrey Gordon (aka @YrFatFriend) discusses with Jameela in this week’s episode. They discuss how to talk to people with opposing ideas to yours, her background in grassroots activism, the racist history of the BMI, how medicine is prejudiced against fat people, why you shouldn’t yell “encouraging things” at your fat friends as they exercise, and her new book: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, which is out now!

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  • Caitlin Moran

    Author, journalist, and broadcaster Caitlin Moran joins Jameela this week to discuss how she became a writer, her knack for explaining feminism to young women in bars, how to become a “big ball of love” to a child with an eating disorder, the ways she failed and learned in her own daughter’s eating disorder journey, how eating disorders can happen at any size, why superhero movies are really about motherhood, and her book More Than A Woman, which is out now.

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  • Amrou Al-Kadhi

    Drag performer, writer, and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi joins Jameela this week to discuss growing up between London and the Middle East, the progressive roots of Islam, coming out as “white” to their parents, using quantum physics to explain being non-binary, how their drag character represents a more free version of their mother, and their book – Life As A Unicorn: A Journey To Shame To Pride And Everything in Between.

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  • Shadeen Francis

    This week, we answer listener questions on feeling sexy (or not sexy) during quarantine, how to manage mismatched libidos in a relationship, the first steps to understanding vaginismus, the journey of healing after sexual assault, and finding connection as an asexual person, with marriage and family therapist Shadeen Francis.

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  • Busy Philipps

    Actor, host, and instagram icon Busy Philipps joins Jameela this week to talk about hollywood’s fat-shaming culture, being the perfect movie best friend, Busy’s magical intuition, why Busy chose to tell her abortion story, and why the fight for reproductive rights is so critical right now.

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  • Jillian Mercado

    Actor and model Jillian Mercado joins Jameela this week to discuss Jillian’s experience growing up with muscular dystrophy, going from a child obsessed with fashion to an adult woman working in the fashion industry, how she became a Diesel model, that “different” isn’t bad, advice on how to date a disabled person, and the need for more representation of disabilities in media.

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  • Ibram X Kendi

    Author, professor, and historian Ibram X Kendi joins Jameela this week to discuss what it currently feels like to be a black man in America, his journey of discovering his own racism, why it is so important to vote, his continual growth in better supporting black women and black trans people, and why he still has hope. Be Antiracist, a workbook for readers as they continue their ongoing work to be antiracist, is available now.

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  • Gloria Steinem

    Iconic feminist, journalist, and activist Gloria Steinem joins Jameela this week to discuss the importance of sharing abortion stories as well as protecting abortion rights, the problems facing sex workers, white feminists joining black feminists in the work they are doing, and “hard” conversations vs. the joy of learning.

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  • Matt Haig

    Author Matt Haig joins Jameela this week to discuss pandemic mental health, his ground-breaking book Reasons To Stay Alive and why he wrote it, how anyone with any amount of privilege can struggle with depression, social media’s contributions to mental health issues, their own social media regrets, and his new book – The Midnight Library – which is available in the US on September 29th.

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  • Law Roach

    Stylist, host, and icon Law Roach joins Jameela this week to discuss growing up gay in the southside of Chicago, going from stealing clothes to attend balls to judging HBOMax’s ballroom competition show Legendary, how dressing Celine Dion in a Titanic sweatshirt went viral, how he became Zendaya’s stylist, and his passion for giving black people opportunities in the fashion world.

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  • Katherine Ryan

    Comedian, writer, presenter, and actor Katherine Ryan joins Jameela this week to discuss how being a new mother was surprisingly helpful in getting Katherine’s start in comedy, a few of her dating disasters, how to raise an amazing daughter, processing a difficult miscarriage, and their thoughts on plastic surgery.
    Katherine’s new show The Duchess is out now on Netflix!

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  • Rachel Cargle

    Public academic, author, and lecturer Rachel Cargle joins Jameela to unpack white feminism, processing the pushback Rachel receives online, their own journeys with feminism and race, choosing not to have children and being a @richauntiesupreme , cultural stigmas around therapy, and Rachel’s work with The Great Unlearn and The Loveland Foundation.

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  • Neal Brennan

    This week comedian, writer, and director Neal Brennan joins Jameela to discuss how Mike Schur set them up as friends, Neal’s struggle with depression, if men or women have it harder when they are single, Serena William’s disproving Neal’s theory around love in one sentence, and his stand-up special 3 Mics on Netflix now.

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  • Joe Lycett

    Comedian and host Joe Lycett joins Jameela to discuss being single in lockdown, danger-wanks, grieving during a pandemic, why Jameela hates the movie Titanic, his pansexuality, and his success taking on the company Hugo Boss by changing his name to Hugo Boss.

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  • Phoebe Robinson

    Stand-up, actress, and best-selling author Phoebe Robinson joins Jameela this week to discuss dealing with debt in your 20s, how Sex In The City lied to us about living in NY, performative activism, appreciating and supporting issues that you haven’t experienced, and her new podcast, Black Frasier, which is out now!

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  • Debra Messing

    This week, actor and activist Debra Messing joins Jameela to talk about her struggles with anxiety and depression, the body-shaming she experienced making A Walk In The Clouds, how therapy and medication has helped her, and finding her voice in the spotlight.

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  • iO Tillet Wright

    This week, author, photographer, TV-host, and activist iO Tillett Wright joins Jameela to discuss his wild childhood growing up in rough 1980’s NYC, processing his own traumas from his parents’ addictions, his experience thriving as a trans man, and photographing 10,000 queer people for his new book Self Evident Truths.

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  • Deborah Francis White

    Comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White joins Jameela this week to discuss trans rights, the process of finding her birth mother, finding fulfillment outside of having children, the journey of her sexuality, and her podcast The Guilty Feminist.

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  • Stephanie Yeboah

    Activist, fashion blogger, and author Stephanie Yeboah joins Jameela this week to discuss fat acceptance, her dating life being a “cesspit,” skin-bleaching, the representation of fat women, the co-opting of the body positivity movement, and Stephanie’s new book Fattily Ever After: The Fat, Black Girls’ Guide to Living Life Unapologetically.

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  • Catherine Bohart

    Stand-Up Comedian and Podcast host Catherine Bohart joins Jameela this week to discuss life with OCD, what it looked like asking for help, the way medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy has changed Catherine’s life for the better, her surprising coming-out to her mother, and the podcast YOU’LL DO Catherine co-hosts with her girlfriend Sarah where they ask people in-depth questions about their relationships.

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  • Matt McGorry

    This week, actor and activist Matt McGorry joins Jameela to talk about how his eyes were opened to the world of activism and need through social media, learning how to be empowered to be a better ally, his journey from bodybuilder to self-acceptance, and leaving dieting behind.

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  • Munroe Bergdorf

    Activist, spokesperson, and model Munroe Bergdorf joins Jameela this week to discuss her experience as a black transgender woman, to dispel untrue arguments against the transgender cause, to talk about how to be a better ally, and to share about her recent reconciliation with L’Oreal.

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  • Nicole Byer

    Stand-up Comedian, Host, Actor, and Author Nicole Byer joins Jameela this week to discuss a no-shame life, exercising for fulfillment not weight loss, quarantine dating, how to laugh while mourning, and Nicole’s new book – #VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl’s Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini.

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  • Dashaun Wesley

    Host of Legendary and “King of Ballroom” Dashaun Wesley joins Jameela this week to discuss the history of ballroom, the importance of chosen family, Legendary’s controversial announcement, and all the poses you need to know.

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  • Scarlett Curtis

    Activist and writer Scarlett Curtis joins Jameela to discuss her own painful journey with an invisible illness, the biases within the medical system, shared anger over munchausen accusations, how PTSD and mental health struggles can happen to anyone, and how feminism and activism changed her life.

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  • Billy Porter

    Billy Porter joins Jameela to discuss his meteoric rise to fame, what it means to “do the work,” proving himself after almost losing his singing voice, making his “Idina Menzel” Oscars moment, and finding his incredible sense of style.

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  • Roxane Gay

    Roxane Gay joins Jameela to discuss twitter as the internet’s cocktail party, concern trolling, her complex experience with weight-loss surgery, where she finds beautiful clothes, and how to keep romance alive during a pandemic.

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  • Aisling Bea

    Aisling Bea joins Jameela to talk about why women should brag, being the face of loneliness, her tv show This Way Up, the power of your period, and buying a house with money from jokes.

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  • Reese Witherspoon

    Reese Witherspoon joins Jameela to talk about how instagram helped her control her own narrative, struggling with postpartum depression, the red carpet advice Meryl Streep once shared, how “funny doesn’t sag,” and building her own media company.

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  • Vivek Murthy

    Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joins Jameela this week to discuss how widespread the problem of loneliness is, Western culture’s tendency to give too much space, social media’s role with loneliness, and how to foster connectivity.

    Vivek Murthy’s book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World is out now!

  • Listen on Earwolf
  • Read Transcript
  • Beanie Feldstein

    Beanie Feldstein joins Jameela in this first episode to discuss playing iconic teenage girls, coming out on accident, loving her body and clothes, and her passion for vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles.

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