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Ways to Get Help Without Leaving Your House - I Weigh

Finding mental health & medical care can be tough, especially if you’re also dealing with racism, homo-antagonism, and trans-antagonism. These apps are here to help.

When we commissioned this piece by Ayesha Sharma on how apps are increasingly providing mental and medical healthcare to those affected by racism, homo-antagonism and trans-antagonism, we had no idea how relevant the research would be. 

Around the world, we are all feeling the effects of coronavirus. Whether we are battling the virus, supporting a loved one who is sick, or worrying about how our lives could or will be impacted, COVID-19 is having a clear impact on all of our health. We hope this piece and these resources will help alleviate any amount of stress you are feeling 💛 

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"In summer 2019, I unequivocally banned coverage of diets & weight loss across all Grazia Middle East platforms. And as a reflection of the zeitgeist, I also ditched the edition traditionally devoted to Summer Bodies – and launched an altogether more empowering Body Positivity issue in celebration of the real-body revolution taking over the world. It wasn’t a calculated publicity stunt. There was no marketing campaign behind it. It didn’t break the internet." Alison Tay writes about the journey of banning diet content from Grazia Middle East on the I Weigh platform. Click to read the full story!

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@jolenaaa.rose 💛 Tell us what you weigh! 📣

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Hungama

Over the last 18 months, documentary filmmaker @lilyvetch has interviewed and filmed members of London’s LGBTQi+ South Asian community. As part of her series, she spent time at @hungama_ldn , a club night created by @mslanji where the community can dance, drink, and perform without shame. Head to www.iweighcommunity.com to read Lily’s interviews and watch footage from her upcoming doc.

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NEWS 📣 “A window to the future. Our country enters, with more optimism, into a new decade.” - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, commented following the vote of Katerina Sakellaropoulou as Greece’s first female president. The human rights activist and high court judge is expected to begin her 5 year term as president in March 2020.

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“Defy stigma. Resist ignorance. FIGHT SHAME” - Matt Haig  Tag a friend who needs to hear this today

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That’s a wrap!

That’s it from our answertime today!

Thanks so much to everyone who sent in questions & we promise to try to get to some of the ones that didn’t make it in this round!

Please stay in touch with us here on Tumblr, over on Instagram, and sign up for our Newsletter for all the latest announcements!

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Not really a question, but I love how you always speak up for what's right on social media and you're not afraid to show it

Thank YOU! I appreciate that.

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Hi there, um, I'd like to say that I weigh's work has done a lot for me in terms of self esteem and I can't thank you enough Yet, I know that as an advocate for those bullied, you must be mistreated and bullied yourself. In those times, do you ever feel like giving up, like "I've suffered my share, this is too much, I can't do it", do you ever have those moments, and if so, how do you get over them?

There are definitely moments where I get overwhelmed because there is so much to do. I want to help everyone, I want to fix everything and the world is such a mess right now. It’s hard to know where to start. But I just try to calm myself down by remembering that nothing changes overnight. 

The only logical approach is community and brick-by-brick progress. Think big but start small. A slow and steady relentless push back is how we are going to win.

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How can someone deal with the fact that they probably won’t achieve the body types seen on social media and be able to live happily within their own skin?

The body ideals we have been sold are a SCAM. They are deliberately unrealistic so that most of humankind will never reach them, and will therefore spend any amount of money and time trying to defy nature at any cost. 

Please, I urge you to move on and away and get on with your life. Focus on what you’re grateful for in your body, all the things it does for you. 

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Jameela hi! I love you so much. Quick question: as a woman who is often scrutinized for being so vocal about her opinions, you use that scrutiny to voice your opinions more. Where does that confidence come from?

My drive comes from having had such a difficult and unhappy life and wanting to make sure that no one ever suffers the way I did, ever again. At any cost I’ll speak up, speak out and try to change things.

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How did you manage to become so confident and happy with your body while still being on social media?

I’m not confident or happy with my body. I just don’t engage with my body. I can’t do positivity about something I have been so negative about. Our bodies are always under attack from society so it’s a bit of a stretch to expect us all to actively love them yet. I instead practice body neutrality. I don’t look in the mirror. I just put on my clothes and go. It has freed me. I’m so much happier now and more productive. I have more time in the day for interesting thoughts and ideas now that I’m not obsessing over whether I love or hate my body. 

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How does having a chronic illness effect your social media presence as a person with a bigger platform on social media? Does it make educating people on EDS easier or are people more obnoxious about it because you have a larger platform? Do people expect an actor with a larger platform not to have any sort of chronic pain disorder? (Asking as someone with EDS and chronic pain/nerve damage myself I'm very curious. I love your tweets and your acting! I think you're hilarious

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First of all: holy heck, you’re Jameela Jamil! Secondly, do you have any advice on how to cope when social media makes it seem like everyone else has more friends than you and does cooler things than you? It’s not so much FOMO as it is just loneliness, and I was wondering if you had any experience and advice regarding this feeling.

I have FOJI: ‘Fear of Joining In’! I have learned that 12 friends in the whole world is all I will ever need. Few of them know each other; they are just little pockets of fun and inspiration in my life. Jesus had it right. 12 is the magical number. But really, even just one amazing friend is enough. I can promise you, I’ve been to all the big “cool” parties, I’ve met all the “cool” people, and it’s all a lie. Very few people have fun at these things. Everyone has social anxiety. You’re not missing out. Now that I’ve seen and done it all, I’m so relieved to be out of all of it. 

And if you need help meeting people, volunteering for a cause you love can be a great starting point, because it’s a win either way. 

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What was the reason to start IWeigh?

I started I Weigh after I found a post on my Explore page weighing all the Kardashians by their weight. It just pissed me off. I was, and am, so sick and tired of women being valued by how much they weigh. So I posted about all the things I weigh - my friends, my career, my financial independence. And it took off! Suddenly I had thousands of people telling me what they weighed on Instagram, that was completely separate from their pounds or KGs. 

We’re creating a much needed safe space on the internet and aim to educate and empower everyone in our reach. Continue to join us on here, on Instagram (we’re almost at 1M followers!), and on Twitter for all of the latest announcements. 

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How do I show people my life while also not getting caught up in the social media popularity rat race?

I think it’s about learning how to turn off. It’s important to know when it’s time to disengage and focus on the people things you can speak to, and the things you can do, in real life. That way you can give your mind a rest, and not get too caught up in the crazy world of social media.

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Do you think taking selfies might improve your perception of yourself or worsen it?

I don’t think it does exactly one or the other! It’s about doing everything in moderation! Documenting YOU during different times - good, bad, happy, sad, when you’re feeling confident, when you’ve just made a big change in your life, etc, can end up being cherished memories that ‘Future You’ will be happy to reflect on. 

But obsessing over getting the perfect angle or lighting is likely never the highest & best use of your time, and we don’t recommend doing anything that makes you feel bad about yourself.