An Aussie TikToker has explained why she felt “disappointed” and walked out halfway through a show hosted by actress and feminist activist Jameela Jamil.
ICYMI, Jamil recently wrapped up her speaking tour of Australia, which was dubbed “In Conversation with Jameela Jamil” and saw The Good Place star discuss feminism, beauty standards and the patriarchy during three shows across the country.
Following one of the shows in Brisbane, feminist content creator Sommer Tothill took to TikTok to relay her “disappoint[ment] with some of the stuff Jameela was saying”.
Prefacing the video, Tothill clarified that her video, which has garnered nearly 800,000 views, was “not a calling out [of]” Jamil, but rather a critique of her sentiment that “women need to extend more empathy to men” in order for them to join feminist causes.
“Jameela is advocating for women to extend men more benefit of the doubt and more empathy,” Tothill said.
It was this idea that Tothill took issue with, arguing that “women extending empathy to men is not a new or subversive idea”.
“It is, in fact, the status quo,” she said.
Tothill said that extending empathy to men, as Jamil suggested, is “not an approach that works”.
“It is men who need to be extending significantly more empathy towards women.”
Tothill expressed concern that Jamil’s talking point might be misconstrued as meaning it is a woman’s responsibility to stop misogyny.
The video caught the attention of Julia Fox, who likewise posts frequently on TikTok about women’s issues and the patriarchy.
“It’s the status quo and we are tired of [it],” the actress wrote in support of Tothill’s message.
Tothill responded to Fox’s comment by saying she “appreciat[ed] your input here”.
Earlier this week, Jamil appeared on The Project and reiterated the talking point Tothill speaks of.
“It’s about less of the bashing [of men] and more the uplifting of the really great men in our society,” she said.
It’s not the first time Jamil has weighed in on topical feminist issues.
She has called out the Kardashians on multiple occasions for their promotion of unrealistic body standards, including in the form of diet ads, and has elsewhere discussed feminism as being a part of her identity as a queer woman.
Lead image: Dave Benett/Getty Images and @sommertothill/TikTok
