I was scrolling through the ‘Woke AF’ Twitter list I created on my account in order to help me keep up-to-date with some of the most influential minds of my generation this week. My attention was piqued by a tweet from Jameela Jamil; British actress, radio presenter, model, writer and most importantly, feminist activist. On Friday she had written:‘Receiving THOUSANDS of messages about how I made a mistake having an abortion 7 years ago and how I must be a miserable person… I am in fact a happy, thriving multi millionaire, madly in love, with free time, good sleep and a wonderful career and life. But thanks for checking’ Her ‘YASSSS KWEEEEN’ tweet was signed off, not only a ‘kissy lips’ emoticon but also a sassy gif (as is tradition) of herself, giving her mic-droppingly awesometastic message even more devastating wokeability.
Now, after reading her tweet, I admit to standing on my chair and applauding her words with a fury I hadn’t felt since Ron Perlman’s last ‘FUCK DONALD TRUMP’ tweet. I cared not one fig if the other people in my train carriage thought I was behaving oddly. Garnering negative attention from regressive boomers is the cross I gladly bear for supporting fellow feminists and I make no apologies for that. In fact, it is they who look like fools in my eyes which only makes their confused gazes and uncomfortable expressions appear more comical to me. I digress…For some time now, Jameela has been an important voice when it comes to feminism, intersectionality, and pro-choice. Last year she tweeted: ‘It is never too late to check yourself and right your wrongs. I used to be slut shamey, judgmental, and my feminism wasn’t intersectional enough. Nobody is born perfectly “woke”. Listen, read, learn, grow, change and make room for everyone. We aren’t free til ALL of us are free.’This is indeed a beautiful message. As a society we must consider the lives of everyone around us. We must take the time to understand and accommodate the feelings of others. We must do whatever we can to expand our knowledge in order to better empathize with the lived experiences of our fellow humans. But let me remind you, it’s make ROOM for everyone, not make WOMB for ‘The cluster of cells that aren’t sentient beings’ as Jameela so expertly articulated to a bigoted white male who had questioned her stance on abortion in his futile attempt to smear her as a hypocrite.
https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1203839740933332993
On Sunday, Jameela had tweeted about how being pregnant is very much like being a landlord, with the unwanted fetus a tenant who is causing problems. This is even more applicable when you consider that if carried to full term, the pregnancy would result in that tenant eventually ‘vandalizing’ the ‘apartment’ with stretch marks and all manner of upheaval. Who could argue against the landlord’s right to evict such a shockingly inconsiderate lodger? I mean, yes, technically eviction doesn’t usually result in said tenant’s life being forfeit, but let me tell you, if I’d rented my house out to someone who had defaced my reproduction William Morris velvet flock wallpaper, I would seriously consider it.
As I read through the replies to Jameela’s insightful analogy, I unearthed all manner of ignorance. ‘The problem is that the tenant didn’t ask to move in’ was one ridiculous remark, which Jameela shot down immediately with the response: ‘Still not their house…’ I honestly could not fangirl this enough. The amount of compassion this woman has towards other women who do not wish to be inconvenienced by a selfish child is boundless. With people like Jameela speaking for the pro-choice side of the abortion issue, it is only a matter of time before the whole world is won over by her grace and humanity. I only hope that as a trans woman, when science has advanced far enough for me to have my first abortion, I will be as brave, as selfless and as fearless in my resolve as Jameela.
