Feature

Jameela Jamil: 'We can help and uplift one another'

"Don't move over. Just move aside, so I can stand next to you and we can do this together."

Jameela Jamil

Actress Jameela Jamil. Source: Getty Images

The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has spoken out against the 'there can only be one' mentality, saying women of colour need to help and uplift one another. 

"Whenever I enter a new industry, whoever is also of that ethnicity - like, for example, Priyanka Chopra or Mindy Kaling, there's always this idea of like there can only be one of us at a time," she said in a video for 'Makers'.
The English actress who has used her social media presence to be vocal on issues around race, women and body image says the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry often created a sense of scarcity and competition, pitting women and minorities against each other. 

"There (is an idea that there) can only be one female rapper at a time. There can be one Asian person at a time. So there's a lot of rhetoric around like, move over Alexa Chung, move over Priyanka Chopra.

"Don't move over. Just move aside, so I can stand next to you and we can do this together. And we can soothe each other. And help each other. And we can uplift one another."

"I'm trying to teach people to make space, not take space."

Share
2 min read
Published 21 May 2019 11:19am
Updated 21 May 2019 11:24am
By Sarah Malik

Share this with family and friends