Jameela Jamil slams publication, says she never 'vowed' to be less problematic and fans cheer her on

Jameela Jamil, who has been at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement and campaigns for transgender equality, said in a recent interview with Grazia that the lockdown has helped her become "less problematic, less ignorant person" by buying time to educate herself. 

However, the media outlet Independent used her above statement in one of their recent reports but in a manner that hasn’t served Jamil well. Her statement from the original interview about learning new things during the lockdown reads, "I was so busy (before), I didn’t have time to really know what I was talking about all the time and I feel very grateful for this pause in being able to, hopefully, become a less problematic, less ignorant person." However, when Independent carried the same story, their headline read: "Jameela Jamil Vows to Become 'Less Problematic' after lockdown: 'People think I'm Manipulative."

On noticing that her words were altered, the model and activist responded to the story on Twitter by sternly stating, "I literally didn't say that in the interview." She further took to her personal Twitter handle to call out the media house directly with her latest tweet, which states, "Vowing" sounds as if I solemnly swore and made a statement to the public of my intention. Which would be such a nauseating and self-indulgent gesture. I didn’t vow. And because they know exactly how nauseating it sounds, they used it as a headline to induce eye rolls."

In a tweet that followed she mentioned, "I’m annoying. But nowhere NEAR as annoying as most (almost always women) (98% of whom are white) journalists ALWAYS twist my words to make me sound. Thank you @jess_barrett and @GraziaUK for not doing that. Pity people twist your interview with me when recycling it for bait."

One Twitter user seconded her tweeting, "Why does everyone come after @jameelajamil??? oh right, cuz she’s a woman of color telling the truth and that’s dANGERous Face with rolling eyes." Another said, "You have a huge fan here, from the states (white man, not that it matters). I've seen the crap lobbed your way and it infuriates me. You are a wonderful human.... stay strong, you have a lot of allies around the world. You kick ass, Jameela." Meanwhile, one praised her for dealing with the issue just the right way. "You are an incredibly inspiring, gorgeous juggernaut of joy and love. Thank you for wading through the tides of bull***t."

And one internet user pointed out that Jamil shouldn’t speak anything against herself as many draw inspiration from her. "@jameelajamil Please don't speak negatively about yourself.  There are enough people there who will do it for you. You are a voice for the voiceless, you are an educator, you are a motivator. You are real. You embody the best in humanity," the tweet read.