DUBAI: British actress Jameela Jamil has revealed that she believes she used to be a misogynist and would belittle women.
The “Good Place” star, of Pakistani and Indian descent, admits she “didn’t have a good vibe of women growing up” and admits she would “speak disparagingly” about women because she “thought” it was feminism.
During a recent Red Table Talk interview, titled “Secret Struggles of ‘The Worst Person on the Internet,’” with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Jamil admitted she made some missteps along the way, saying she was a “troll” because of the comments she made about other celebrity women, including Kim Kardashian West and Beyonce.
“I was a misogynist. I didn’t have a good vibe of women growing up. I would speak disparagingly about women. I thought women were always about drama.”
Jamil explained that she publicly called out female celebrities because of past “rage.” She explained, “I had all this rage and then I would project it at women, at the nearest, easiest target.”
She said that there is “documented proof” of her shaming “loads of female celebrities, like Miley, Beyonce, Rihanna, Kim… all these different people, Iggy Azalea.”
“I was doing it because I was in pain. I was a troll. I thought I was doing feminism,” she added.
Jamil went on to explain that this pain stemmed from being sexually assaulted as a 22-year-old. “I’m sexually assaulted. I’m too afraid to confront my rapist. And so, instead, I get angry at all women who sexualize themselves because I blame them for why men have always sexualized me since I was a child (sic),” she said.
Although the outspoken actress has learned from her past mistakes, she added that she can’t take back what she said. She spoke of “the amount of regret I have” about things she had said “in an angry moment but I can’t take it back … and I won’t take it back because women reserve the right” to make mistakes. She added, “I would hate me too if I just knew me from what I read.”
During the episode, Jamil also opened up about her struggles with depression, her need to be liked by other women, her body image issues as well as the steps she has taken toward healing.
