ocial media can be

daunting, but it can

also help you find your

people. Comedian

Celeste Barber and British

actor-activist Jameela Jamil can

attest to that because amplifying their frank, feminist voices

online is what led them to each other. Barber caught Jamil’s

eye after the actor-slash-comedian started issuing the

#celestechallengeaccepted on Instagram, where she would

parody “aspirational” beauty posts by scantily clad models or

celebrities. Meanwhile, Jamil, who stars in the NBC comedy

The Good Place, educates her millions of followers on topics

related to self-acceptance and body positivity. As you’ll see here,

finding humour in artifice is another thing that unites them.

INSTYLE: How did you two first form your friendship?

CELESTE BARBER: We were talking about this yesterday,

weren’t we, Jameela? When I was lying on top of you half naked.

JAMEELA JAMIL: Yeah! We found each other on Instagram.

People kept referring us to each other.

CB: Right, we were initially just internet friends. Then Jameela

was on my podcast [Celeste & Her Best] and did a talk for my

book [Challenge Accepted!]. The day before I was supposed

to officially meet her for my podcast, she was standing in

front of me in line at Urban Outfitters in West Hollywood,

but I didn’t realise it was her. There was a group of teenagers

standing behind me going, “Oh my god, oh my god!” And, as I’m

known for my ego, I was thinking they were flipping out about

me. I’m like, “Hello, hi! Did you guys want a photo?” And then

my friend says, “They’re not freaking out about you, dickhead.

Jameela’s in front of you.” I was like, “Oh, that’s embarrassing.”

Then Jameela walked out like the goddess that she is, the girls

went running after her, and I went screaming into a pillow.

JJ: Well, if I had known you were behind me, I would’ve been

starstruck by you and asked for a picture, so that’s how that goes.

But we’ve become fast friends. Going into this shoot, we knew

we wanted to bring our worlds together. While Celeste and I

don’t do exactly the same thing, we represent a similar message.

What’s interesting about both of you is how by questioning

fame and “aspiration” you’ve become legitimately famous.

JJ: It’s about authenticity and humour. That’s what we were

trying to bring to the world. I think what has made us popular

on social media is the fact that people are gravitating toward

what makes them feel good rather than what makes them feel

ashamed of themselves. We never make people feel like they’re

not good enough or they’re not fit enough. Also, it’s a choice.

If something makes you feel bad about any part of your life,

you don’t have to engage with it. I just follow people like [writer]

Roxane Gay or Celeste, mostly comedians, and they make

me feel happy when I look at my feeds.

CB: Yeah, it’s so liberating. When you go, “I’m a grown-up, and

I’m not going to follow you anymore,” you feel good after you do

it. I don’t follow any of the Kardashians, but I know if there’s a

good photo for me to do a parody of them, about 10,000 people

will send it to me in a day. People will say to me, “If you’re a real

feminist, you should say that people can’t talk about that model

or celebrity that way.” But that particular person I’m parodying

has a multibillion-dollar industry behind her, supporting her,

loving her, telling her everything she’s doing right. I’m just a

girl who is fighting against that. I’m all right if people are like,

“Oh, well, that’s not very nice.” The people I parody are okay

with it. They are usually onboard. So, if they like it, I’m fine.

How do you decide who you want to parody?

CB: My mindset is to find the humour in all of it. Sometimes it’s

easy. Like the Gwyneth [Paltrow] one I did. As soon as I saw her

post on Instagram [Paltrow was in bed, talking about her skin

feeling “super soft and glowy” thanks to Goop’s Overnight Glow

Peel], I was like, “Oh, come on, Gwyneth.” When I have that kind

of response, or when I have that feeling of ,“Imagine if I did

that—that would be ridiculous,” that’s when I know. If they’re

not wearing clothes, I’ll probably do it. When girls are in tiny

bikinis and heels, sitting on some random bench accompanied

by a Gandhi quote, I’m like, “What the hell?” Those are the

ones where I go, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

JJ: Right, and it’s not intended to be mean. We’re just calling out

the ridiculousness because it’s presented in a way that isn’t

ironic or anything. We’re not trying to say that they [the celebs]

are ridiculous. We’re saying that it’s ridiculous that there’s just

one stereotype of [a] woman that we’re supposed to conform to.

What kind of responses do you get from the people you

emulate in your posts?

CB: Love, support, kindness, reposting, messages like,

“This is f ***ing brilliant. I love you.” They get the world

they’re in. People ask me to do it now.

JJ: I think that’s hilarious. I try to use humour as much as I can in

activism too. For example, I did [what turned out to be] a viral

video of me doing the most heinous poop that you’ve ever seen

a woman do on a toilet, with sound effects that will haunt your

dreams. [The 45-second clip, which features Jamil downing

a “diet shake” and then running to the bathroom, has clocked

more than three million views. It was posted with the text ,

“If celebs and influencers were actually honest with us about

some of these diet/detox products...”] That video resonated

more than any of my essays, podcasts or serious chat-show

appearances. I think humour helps the medicine go down.

S

JANUARY 2020 INSTYLE 77