Amy Schumer has been one of the most talked about actress/comediennes of 2015. From her starring role in her film, Trainwreck, to her successful HBO special at The Apollo, she has kept us laughing all year.
Most recently, Schumer was selected to pose for the 2016 Pirelli Calendar. Instead of its usual selection of models, this year the calendar chose a variety of businesswomen, actresses, athletes and artists for each month.
Schumer posed for the calendar almost nude, followed by this bold post on her Instagram, for her 2.6 million followers to see:
"Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you Annie Leibovitz!"
Schumer's post received an enormous amount of positive feedback. Her followers posted comments of praise such as calling her their hero, telling her she's amazing and a brave figure. This is not the first time Schumer has posted or said something regarding her body image. She is a strong, confident icon who is making a difference in how we should perceive Hollywood stars. Her confidence and bold honesty are what inspire people to embrace their bodies and natural look, and to only be satisfied by their own standards.
“I feel very comfortable in my own skin. When someone makes jokes about me being heavy, it makes me mad. It’s not true. I’m right where I should be.”
Schumer is a professional at laughing at herself while still making a point that as long as she is comfortable with herself, societal and Hollywood expectations do not influence her.
"I am a woman with thoughts and questions and s–t to say. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story — I will. I will speak and share and f–k and love and I will never apologize to the frightened millions who resent that they never had it in them to do it. I stand here and I am amazing, for you. Not because of you. I am not who I sleep with. I am not my weight. I am not my mother. I am myself.”
Along with the positive praise from her fans, fellow actress/comedienne and friend, Amy Poehler, also commented on Schumer's post. “She’s f----n’ hot as s--t in that picture and her legs are amazing. I’d give anything to have her legs.”
In every interview of hers that I've read and stand-up I've watched, Amy Schumer consistently abides by her perspective on life. Aside from her jokes, there is something to be applauded that she maintains her genuine image and opinion, not to give off the impression that she desires to be an icon for healthy body image, but simply because that is what she honestly thinks. One of my favorite things about Schumer is that she never tries to be anyone else. In a society with many famous female comedians that are often insulted, compared or deemed lesser to male comedians, she has stood out in her own original way.
