In a new Instagram post shared Tuesday, Jameela opened up about her own medical conditions, and the scarring that often comes from them. "I have such severe eczema all over that my legs are covered in huge patches of pigment loss from scratching," she wrote. "I have a tonne [sic] of stretch marks, and because I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, *every* time I cut, I scar. I *refuse* to have these normal human marks weaponised [sic] against me," she tweeted.
The Instagram photo was actually a screenshot of a recent Tweet by Jameela, and she used her Instagram caption as a chance to take down companies selling body makeup.
View this post on Instagram Seeing more and more companies sell *always marketing just at women* make up that is for your body, to cover all your flaws. This is a nightmare for your clothes, furniture, bedsheets, bank account, especially if you are tall or curvy, as you need so much extra, its time consuming to put on and take off. It clogs pores, can make some skin conditions worse and is based on a Photoshop ideal of a woman. Which is a problematic downhill spiral. Yes I understand we should all be allowed to do whatever makes us feel good, but can we not also question why fully disguising our entire natural selves makes us feel better? Why do we feel bad about ourselves? Who did that? who profits off it? do boys have to live up to the same standards? Are they shamed *as* easily and frequently as us femmes? Isnt there something a BIT off about making peoples happiness and confidence lie in doll-like perfection? Im finding it all deeeeeply suspicious myself... A post shared by Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamilofficial) on Jun 25, 2019 at 12:33am PDT
"[Body makeup] is a nightmare for your clothes, furniture, bedsheets, bank account, especially if you are tall or curvy, as you need so much extra, its time consuming to put on and take off," she wrote. "It clogs pores, can make some skin conditions worse and is based on a Photoshop ideal of a woman."
Hold on. I want to know more about Jameela's Ehlers Danlos syndrome. What is that?
According to the National Institute of Health's Genetics Home Reference (GHR), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, which can result in mildly loose joints to life-threatening complications.
Hypermobility (a.k.a. an unusually large range of joint movement) is a key symptom of Ehlers-Danlos, and can lead to dislocation and chronic pain. Many people with the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes also have soft, velvety skin that is highly stretchy and fragile, and is prone to bruising or scarring. (In Jameela's case, her eczema , which can cause dry, itchy skin, only likely adds to the scarring).
Overall, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects about one in 5,000 people, worldwide, per the GHR, and is typically caused by a gene mutation and can be inherited. There's no treatment for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but management techniques can help those with the disease limit symptoms.
As for Jameela's experience, props to her for being so open about it-and for speaking up for other women dealing with similar situations and feelings. Keep at it, Jameela!