Jameela Jamil's skin was airbrushed whiter in photos early on in her career.

Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil

The 'Good Place' star has admitted it makes her feel "gross' when she sees the Photoshopped pictures that made her skin appear lighter and her body skinnier, but she didn't realise she had a choice.

She told Red magazine: "When I first started out in this industry, I didn't know I was allowed to say no to airbrushing. I was given a whiter face, a little English nose and perfect skinny thighs.

"It makes me feel gross. I'm sorry to anyone who ever saw pictures of me like that and wanted to be thin like me."

The 32-year-old - who is a campaigner for body positivity - constantly worries about her weight and appearance, though she is no longer obsessed with weighing herself.

She added: "I still suffer from body dysmorphia. I can't get rid of it. Something's wrong with my brain and I will rally against it for ever.

"I don't weigh myself any more and I sort of judge my size on how my clothes fit because I know that I'll never be able to see myself properly."

Jameela recently admitted she thinks airbrushing should be made illegal.

The former T4 presenter says it's a crime against women, describing the technique - which is used to correct perceived flaws - as "anti-feminist".

Jameela continued: "It is ageist. It is fat-phobic. It looks weird. It looks wrong. It's robbing you of your time, money, comfort, integrity and self worth."

The British star - who plays the role of Tahani Al-Jamil in the American TV series 'The Good Place' - thinks it's important to show imperfections.

She said: "We need to see spots. We need to see wrinkles. We need to see cellulite and stretch marks.

"If not, we will become almost allergic to the sight of them, even though we all have these things on our own bodies. We need to be honest with ourselves and with each other so that we can all be free."

Meanwhile, Jameela previously claimed that speaking out about inequality has probably harmed her career.

Despite this, the outspoken star - who has voiced her opinions on a wide range of issues over the years, including sexism and dieting - won't stop speaking out against inequality in Hollywood.

She said: "The funniest thing is when people are like, 'You're just saying all this stuff to further your career.' Are you in insane? I'm biting all the hands that could possibly feed me. But I won't go away.

"I'm sure that this has cost me. I would earn much more if I didn't keep slagging off industries that pay a lot of money.

"But I can't live with hypocrisy. I want to work with brands that are on women's sides."


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