In this episode, Jess speaks publicly for the first time in a decade about a subject near and dear to her heart: body positivity in the context of weight loss. This episode tackles the question:

“Can you love your body while still desiring to lose weight?” 

Jess and her guest for this episode, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, have both experienced 100+ lb weight loss in their life. They know firsthand what it’s like to grapple with that question. They both share candidly about what life is like in a larger body and what happened when that weight started to drop (the answer may surprise you).

Amani’s not only a voice for body inclusivity for women around the world but at 25 years of age she’s also a “media titan” (according to the New York Times) and the founder and creator of muslimgirl.com. 

Amani started Muslim Girl as a blog when she was still in high school. After she couldn’t find any publications that spoke to her experience as a Muslim girl growing up in America, she decided to make her own. The blog has since taken off and become the first Muslim company on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, making Amani the first veiled woman to be listed.

Amani’s background is important because her experience growing up as a Muslim woman in America affected her weight, just as her weight affected her experience as a Muslim woman. This is an intersectional conversation that embraces the nuance inherent to the question of the episode. There’s so much more to health than weight, there’s so much more to weight than the way you look, and there’s so much more to this conversation that you’ll just have to hear for yourself!  

You can follow Amani @Amani on most platforms, and @xoamani on Twitter. Also, check out her book named by the same title as her blog: Muslim Girl.  

To learn how you can support the next generation to have a positive relationship with beauty, visit Dove.com/selfesteem for academically validated tools to help parents, teachers, and mentors tackle tough topics ranging from bullying and poor body image to discrimination.  

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