When a newsletter has the internet in a chokehold, you better believe that Mia Freedman has to unpack it.
And so it is with the recent Substack from Jameela Jamil. Writing from what Jamil calls the "funeral of the body positivity movement," she posits a theory that is as provocative as it is dark: that the obsession with extreme thinness, hairlessness, and agelessness isn't just about vanity — it’s a standard designed to mimic the aesthetics of children.
Jessie and Holly join Mia to dive deep into the sinister framework of the 'sexy baby' trope, questioning why grown women are taught to spend their lives trying to get back to a body they had at thirteen.
Is the 'Epstein-ness' of this current cultural moment exposing a wider fetishisation of youth among the world's most powerful men? Or is Jamil's critique of the homogenised look of our favourite female stars—from Sabrina Carpenter to Taylor Swift—unfairly judging their "sparkly underpants" choice?
"Your body is not meant to look the same at 28 as it did at 18." Is it time to reclaim our waistlines, our wrinkles, and our right to look like grown-ass women? Mia has thoughts — and we're pretty sure you do too.
What To Listen To Next:
- Listen to our latest episode: "I'm A Working Mum & I Just Want To Quit"
- Listen: Mia & Amelia On CBK: The Clothes, The Curse, The Love Story
- Listen: Prince William Has Entered The Chat
- Listen: The New Dating Rule That Blew Up A Comments Section
- Listen: 'Prince' Andrew's Arrest Is Not What You Think It Is
- Listen: Angelina Jolie & The Existential Threat Of Desirable Older Women
- Listen: MAFS & The Specific Cruelty of the ‘Sexual Chemistry’ Question
- Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
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What to read:
- Jameela Jamil's Substack: Ah shit! We let pedophiles decide our beauty standards.
- Britney Spears, Brooke Shields and the 'criminal' interviews child stars don't want us to forget.
- Chappell Roan can take a stand, we apparently just need her to suffer a bit first.
- 'You’re routinely underestimated.' The 9 untold benefits of being an ugly child.
- Sarah says she has 'ugly privilege'.
- Okay, it's time we talk about the thing we're all too scared to talk about.
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