Amy Schumer is many things. She is loud, vulgar and hilarious. She is real. Following the footsteps of other strong female comedians, Schumer’s comedy routines are more similar to those of Chelsea Handler than Tina Fey. She pushes the boundary further than Fey, more brazen with her use of swear words and more upfront with her sexuality.
Her TV show, now in its third season, has garnered a lot of attention lately. With skits like “Last Fuckable Day” and “Girl, You Don’t Need Makeup,” Schumer takes a stand against the standard of beauty America continues to subscribe to. The show has a clear feminist message that is uniquely approachable to all viewers. "Inside Amy Schumer" also tackles issues of rape culture in her now infamous skit “Football Town Nights,” a parody of "Friday Night Lights." In it, a new head football coach implements a controversial rule of no raping, which was met with a lot of anger in the community. Riffing off the “permissiveness of the football town culture,” according to head writer Christine Nangle, was the point of the sketch. The whole show tries to deal with issues that are important but not be too “heavy handed.”
The writers themselves say they feel that the feminist message of their show doesn’t “weigh (them) down” in the creative process. They claim that what makes their show unique is the way in which they approach the issues discussed. They know they are first and foremost a comedy show. The feminism in the skits comes organically and never at the expense of humor. Nangle says that they don’t want to put “something out there that (isn’t) funny and (they) don’t want to put something out there that (is) kind of pointless.”
The appeal of a show like this Schumer’s is that it deals with issues that mean a lot to its key demographic but also has a way of making its message have universal appeal. Not only do her skits about the accessibility of birth control appeal to young women, but they’re also the kind of skits that can be shared on Facebook. Instead of posting long rants about how hard it is to get birth control, young women can make their views known by sharing Schumer’s hilarious skit. In this skit, Schumer tries to get birth control but first has to go through her boss and her boss’ priest. In response to the Hobby Lobby lawsuit, the writers felt the need to show just how ridiculous their claims were by making fun of them. The skit effectively delivers an important message all while being absolutely hilarious. Schumer’s message, and that of her writers', perfectly balances humor and politics.
So why does Schumer succeed where many others fail? I think it’s her personality. Her straightforward attitude allows her to say exactly what is on her mind and get away with it. She certainly has her critics, but the general consensus is that she is doing all the right things. She is a self-proclaimed feminist. In her own words, “I think people don’t know what the word feminism means. ... (It’s the) social, political, economic equality of women. I think if you’re against that, you’re a crazy person.”
Schumer is a rising star; her new movie with Bill Hader is a box office moneymaking machine. With her career finally taking off, she is sure to stay true to her own brand of comedy because it is who she is. She is an inspiration to young girls who feel that they deserve equality in a world where they certainly don’t have it. Joining the ranks of Emma Watson, Schumer serves as a voice for the millions of women across the globe who experience inequality and want their lives to change.
