Jameela Jamil on Woman's Hour (today 17/1) Reverse ferret ahoy?

[WinterTrees]

I'm not here much lately and have removed myself entirely from Twitter/X so I'm not sure if I've missed something, but JJ was a guest on WH this morning - Emma Barnett interviewing - and the subject was JJ's 'new strategy for how she communicates on social media'.

She came across as moderate and reasonable, and confessed to posting aggressively, using controversy as media currency, being judgemental and condescending and jumping on the bandwagon of 'smackdown culture' ('popular on the left') and getting involved in issues that weren't her area of expertise. Also to deleting her twitter history. Notably, LGBTQ issues weren't specifically mentioned at all, but I wondered if she was on some sort of reputation salvaging mission now the Emperor's nakedness is getting harder to ignore (and his pink leggings have had a lot of front page PR.) She did claim to be using her platform to 'tell the truth', and EB pointed out that it was only her version of the truth, but that was about the closest they got to touching on issues. She is calling for greater tolerance for people admitting they were wrong.

Did anyone else hear it? Have I missed anything and am I being naive and overly optimistic to think she may have (ahem) 'educated herself'? (Probably if I returned to twitter I could get some answers myself, but I've deleted my account now and I don't think I can get back in!)

I turned it off when I heard her speaking. Jamie is a talentless grifter so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see her reverse ferret if the current of social media changes direction.

I have principles. But if you don’t like them I have others.

I don't disagree with that, but I think she's also a useful weather sock, if you will. A good indicator of the way the prevailing populist winds are blowing.

I think that she's a talentless virtue-signaller BUT ALSO that in being so, she's a useful weathervane. So everyone's right and it's worth watching what she does next.

'She is calling for greater tolerance for people admitting they were wrong'

Hmmm , definitely sounds like reverse ferreting, or at least paving the way for that!

Will this be the next thing we have to fawn all over people for? Gold medals and parades for admitting you were wrong? 'Coming out' parties for being wrong? 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

JJ loves 'coming out'. That'd probably work beautifully.

Are we talking the same person who was chased by bees, twice, and got run over, twice, and had cancer, twice? I'm not sure she's the most honest witness as she can't even keep her own story straight.

Also all the girls at her 90s school were on puberty blockers to stop their heavy periods, apparently

10 part Netflix doco series. Jameela Jamil stars in I Was Wrong About…

Episode 1: The Bees
Episode 2: Cancer (part 1)

and so on.

She may as well make some money out of it eh?

I heard it. Nothing JJ said made me think she has 'educated herself'. Everything JJ said made me think she continues to take whatever position centres herself.

Her life seems to contain an extraordinary amount of drama. The WH piece was about harassment outside abortion clinics and behold JJ reveals (to Emma Barnett's obvious surprise) the new dramatic detail of her visit to an abortion clinic ten years ago in which she was 'pelted with rosary beads' as she was 'carried' in. I was reminded of JJ's repeated and remarkably unlucky encounters with bees. Flying objects seem to be a thing.

It's all about the position centre stage. If the tide is turning someone like JJ doesn't want to get left behind with her outdated 'truths'. So yeah, if she's changing her mind it's just another chapter in the big book of 'Look at MEEEE'.

It is beyond depressing to see how many have no real thoughts or integrity of their own but just download whatever populist view is 'in'.

But yes, I suppose helpful that the 'pink leggings, you might have been suckered in' message is spreading.

She once uploaded a collection of comical images of athletes (some were inadvertent optical illusions, some photoshopped) being very small and very tall, as part of an argument for males in women's sports.

Her life seems to contain an extraordinary amount of drama. The WH piece was about harassment outside abortion clinics and behold JJ reveals (to Emma Barnett's obvious surprise) the new dramatic detail of her visit to an abortion clinic ten years ago in which she was 'pelted with rosary beads' as she was 'carried' in. I was reminded of JJ's repeated and remarkably unlucky encounters with bees. Flying objects seem to be a thing.

I had the very same cynical thought.

I remember around 18 months ago she was absolutely battered on X because she superiorly told people how to “stop being misgendered”. She was really dragged over the coals by the very people she was telling us all off about being vulnerable, she perhaps saw just how vulnerable they were. maybe that experience has given her pause for thought?

Interesting. I didn't hear the interview.
JJ is good at jumping on a bandwagon and generally spotting the bandwagon before most people - hence why she continues to have a media presence and her opinion does get heard (even if you don't agree with it).
She's also a little bit older and hopefully wiser than a few years ago and moving to a position of accepting that a person can make a mistake/change their view is actually really useful in terms of public discourse.
How long before she dares to express a moderately GC opinion I wonder..

I remember that now @Theyarehere . It was quite bizarre. They really went for her.

Perhaps she has sniffed the wind again though....and this time it is safer?

She is the most cringeworthy person....it's just unbearable to read things like this...

I think she got some flak for that tweet!

Jameela Jamil is not a serious person. The maddest thing she did was ostentatiously position herself as a fat acceptance activist despite being thin as a rake.

Also, as PPs have mentioned, the constant tall tales.

She might be preparing to 'come out' as an alt-righter though. The far left to alt right pipeline is a fairly well trodden one. Political horseshoe theory and all that.

I heard her on Radio 5 on Saturday morning - she was pushing some body positive/mental health exercise thing that she'd had an epiphany about during lockdown. https://iweighcommunity.com/

JJ does an interview and says nothing about trans people.

Mumsnet assumes it must be about trans people somehow.

You are aware some people- most of the world in fact- are not 24/7 obsessed with this issue and don't see transness in every shadow and in fact regularly have conversations which have F all to do with anything trans?

I heard the interview too.

She did say one interesting thing, regarding 'opinions' and 'identity'.

"... I think people are more drawn to fallibility than we realise. I think it's far more relatable than a bunch of perfect demigods that are presented as our celebrities. I think it's far more important to have people who are willing to say 'Oh you know what actually, upon new information I have changed my opinion'. The problem with our generation, I think that we are seeing is that we have; you know, I grew up where you had your identity, and then you had your opinion. And your identity was relatively fixed but not completely and your opinion was seen as relatively transient - in fact I'd say pretty transient. Now, it seems as though because of this hellhole of social media, your opinion and your identity have become so deeply intertwined, that now when someone criticises your opinion you feel as though they're attacking your entire identity."

... your opinion and your identity have become so deeply intertwined ...
That's what I found interesting. Not only is she saying you can change your opinion, but also that changing your opinion doesn't impact your identity.

Right now the whole identity politics of the left doesn't allow for plurality of opinions. You must be pro-trans, pro-Palestinian, pro-immigration, yadda yadda yadda; because if you deviate on any of the compulsory positions you get denounced as a Nazi.

And if JJ is a weathersock / bandwagon-jumper of some accuracy, then change is a'comin'. And if we want to speed that change, cement it in, 'Golden Bridges' must be made available for opinion-holders to cross.

The interview starts about 19 minutes into this morning's programme.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001vcmh

I think her body positivity stuff has been pretty, well, positive. She's not a rake, as far as I've noticed, but is a healthy shape, albeit quite tall.

The misgendering thing was probably a bit of an eye-opener, but there are worse media types than her and I think she generally does mean well.

Thanks for transcribing that bit WhereYouLeftIt I hadn't listened particularly closely to it, and you make an interesting point.

Me three! Not only was she pelted with rosary beads as she was carried in, but she stopped to ask the rosary pelter if they would adopt the child she was carrying, to which they answered 'no', apparently.

Presumably this conversation happened whilst she was being carried, I hope whoever carried her had strong arms.

My imagination really doesn't stretch to the idea I'd be composed enough to challenge someone on their political position on abortion when they're literally throwing things at me on my way to get an abortion, but maybe she's just incredibly composed in all situations. She certainly oozes self confidence.

I haven't listened (don't intend to) and didn't know she was on until I saw a WH tweet about how she'd been pelted with rosary beads outside an abortion clinic and I was not one bit surprised to find that this unlikely drama had 'happened' to her.