Actress and presenter Jameela Jamil launched the I Weigh movement earlier this year. It has since garnered 100,000 followers. Courtesy Stephen Lock
Actress and presenter Jameela Jamil launched the I Weigh movement earlier this year. It has since garnered 100,000 followers. Courtesy Stephen Lock
Actress and presenter Jameela Jamil launched the I Weigh movement earlier this year. It has since garnered 100,000 followers. Courtesy Stephen Lock
Actress and presenter Jameela Jamil launched the I Weigh movement earlier this year. It has since garnered 100,000 followers. Courtesy Stephen Lock

Celebrities share their 'weight' to prove they are more than just a number


Selina Denman
  • English
  • Arabic

Emmy Rossum is the latest celebrity to join “I Weigh”, an Instagram movement where women share photos with captions highlighting the attributes they most value about themselves.

This may be the degrees they hold, the children they have raised, the friendships they have nurtured or the battles they have fought against cancer or mental illness. In doing so, they prove that they are much more than a number on the scales. As one follower puts it: “What I am not? My thighs. My tummy. My upper arms. Defined by my size.” She instead defines herself as "a cook, writer, music lover, book worm, model, friend and daughter.”

The initiative was launched in February by actress and television presenter Jameela Jamil, who was compelled to ask her followers what they really “weigh” after stumbling across an Instagram account that compared the weights of the Kardashian-Jenner sisters. As she scrolled through the comments and came across countless women expressing anxiety about their own sizes, she was inspired to offer an alternative.

The I Weigh Instagram account has since attracted over 100,000 followers, including actresses Kristen Bell and Rossum, who lists some of her attributes as: “One Happy marriage; 3 best friends since kindergarten; 100+ hours of television; and drive, kindness and empathy.”

Bell, meanwhile, highlighted the “two children that keep me laughing; a partner who challenges me to see all perspectives; a job that fully engages my brain; and the scar on my stomach that reminds me I did something extraordinary.”

Jamil has long been critical of how women’s looks are constantly dissected and judged, and of  how social media encourages this kind of behaviour.

“We have to outlaw airbrushing in the US/UK,” she has said on Twitter. “I always fight for no editing. It makes me feel bad about myself when an editor decides that my cellulite, stretch marks or squishy arms/thighs or ethnic nose were too shameful to be seen in public. It's all a part of me, and I like it.”

So, what do you weigh?

_________________________
Read more:

Lindsay Lohan is back in the headlines this summer, here's why

Beyonce's body honesty smashes through the Snapchat filter 

How can we achieve true happiness?

_________________________

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars

The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach