How Jameela Jamil's Experience With Sexual Abuse Influenced Her 'Unsexualized' Playboy Photoshoot

Jameela Jamil’s suited look for Playboy is a rather rare look for the women who cover the magazine.

However, it was a part of the “Good Place” actress’s conditions in exchange for collaborating with the outlet. The demands, which she detailed on Twitter Thursday, is a reflection of the way her past has shaped her perspective on sex.

During the interview, Jamil opened up about how working with Playboy is a reflection of her growth.

“There have also been some wonderful-looking women in Playboy, and I really enjoy the female form," the 34-year-old said.“But once I grew up and started to understand patriarchy and objectification, and not wanting to contribute to that, I stopped involving myself with the publication. Then I went through a kind of heavy period of not wanting to see any kind of female sexuality or nudity. I turned fully the other way and started to become angry about female nudity, which I’m thankful I no longer stand by.”

The reason Jamil felt so intensely about the matter stemmed from the trauma she’d experience as a child and in early adulthood.

She revealed: “I was abused when I was younger, but the thing that really impacted me around female sexuality was being raped when I was 22. That caused a sudden change in the way I felt around female sexuality and objectification, and I started to almost feel angry with the women who were empowering but objectifying themselves.”

“I was mad at them because I felt they were contributing to the culture that made men look at me as nothing more than a sexual object...I felt mad at women, which is so ridiculous because that’s not the right target. It’s a whole system of oppression.”

Although Jamil’s general perspective on the topic has changed, one of her beliefs has not.

“I do stand by one issue I have with the way women are objectified in our media, even when they objectify themselves,” the British actress said.“When Madonna did it, it felt like a [expletive] party, like everyone was [expletive] everyone. It didn’t feel as though one person was performing for another but that we were all in on the show. Now there’s more of a culture where the woman is in underwear and doing all the dancing, and the man is wearing outdoor winter layers and sitting on a chair...That annoys me, because why should we do all the work? And I genuinely think that attitude permeates our culture.”

Furthermore, Jamil credits her boyfriend and musician James Blake for helping change her view on sex.

“I consider our sex life something sacred,” she said.“What I will say is it’s fantastic, and he makes me feel safe in every single way as a person. My whole life, I was missing someone who would just make me feel safe. If you’re an abuse victim, the number one thing that can unlock your truest sexuality and humanity is just someone who makes you feel that way. That’s the time when you can most engage with who you really are and what you really want. That’s the thing he does every single day.”