Last night, Jewish actress Emmy Rossum posted on Instagram what she weighed. No, not what you’re thinking: she shared her weight in achievements and qualities. Rossum listed her “real” weight: “3 best friends since kindergarten, drive, kindness, empathy, makes friends with strangers, Jewish and proud, daughter, 100+ hours of television, the courage it takes every day to overcome PTSD, one happy marriage, 3 episodes of television directed, countless hours of therapy, one finished screenplay, animal rescuer.”
Why did she share all this? It’s part of a movement called “I Weigh,” started by Jameela Jamil.
In February, actress Jamil (you know her as Tahani al-Jamil on the Good Place) hit her breaking point: she was fed up with the media’s obsession with how much celebrities weigh. She saw an Instagram post that published a photo of the Kardashian sisters with each of their weights in kilos imposed over them, and got angry.
Jamil posted an Instagram story that said “Who gives a FUCK what weight you are? What is this toxic bullshit? This is how women are taught to value themselves. In kg. GRIM.”
Jamil went on to write, “I weigh: lovely relationship, great friends, I laugh every day, I love my job, I make an honest living, I’m financially independent, I speak out for women’s rights, I like my bingo wings, I like myself in spite of EVERYTHING I’ve been taught by the media to hate myself about. Fucking KG.”
I’m on the war path. pic.twitter.com/A3zC6yTB6G
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) February 23, 2018
In a later Instagram caption, Jamil wrote, “I’m fucking tired of seeing women just ignore what’s amazing about them and their lives and their achievements, just because they don’t have a bloody thigh gap.” This launched an entire movement, no joke. People started sending Jamil their “weight” in relationships, achievements, and more, and she began sharing them. She eventually started a separate Instagram page: @i_weigh, to fight for body positivity and for “us to feel valuable and see how amazing we are.” There’s over 1,300 posts and nearly a million followers.
Rossum, who is most known for her role as Fiona on Shameless, has spoken out about the gender pay gap, anti-Semitism, sexual violence, and more.
I am a woman. I am Jewish. I am marrying an Arab American. My sister in law is handicapped. I'm a victim of sexual violence. It's personal.
— Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) November 9, 2016
Now, she turns her attention to body positivity, as she shared her support for “I Weigh” in a series of Instagram stories.
She wrote, “Have you ever typed into google: ‘What does *insert name of actor/model/celebrity* weigh? Followed by countless hours of compare and despair?? During my life the scale has told me that I’ve gained and lost and gained and lost. Somewhere in the range of 20 pounds. But that piece of metal doesn’t really know. Here is what I ACTUALLY WEIGH.”
We always appreciate when celebrities open up about their real-life struggles and make themselves vulnerable. Rosum talked about her battle with PTSD and that she goes to “countless hours” of therapy. And because we’re Alma, we also smiled at the “Jewish and proud” bit of her statement.
Go, Emmy, go!
