On Monday, Feb. 15, the night of the 58th annual Grammy Awards, Amy Schumer posted a photograph to Instagram. Schumer, a 34 year old comedian among other titles, captioned a photograph of herself and a friend at the beach. Like anyone else, I love a lighthearted picture of friends enjoying the sand and sun, especially in this February weather. But this photo was not that. Instead, the caption read, “Taylor that’s not a thigh gap. This is a thigh gap.” Schumer most obviously and blatantly called out musical icon Taylor Swift’s lean physique, and she did so all in the name of “humor.” But I’m here to tell you why it is not humor, and why it should offend girls everywhere.
Let’s talk about comedy, just for a moment. Comedy happens all around us, every day. It happens during those YouTube videos of children acting ridiculous when they don’t know any better, with your friends (especially late at night when you’re all delirious), and with knock-knock jokes alike. Depending on your sense of humor, it can happen in the dreariest of situations or in situations you make up yourself.
But let’s talk about some things that get mistaken for comedy, those things that certainly are not, despite a similar-looking mask. I think I know the biggest culprit of them all -- and that’s hurting other people. Yes, we've all mistaken comedy for the girl who tripped over the banana peel and fell or the boy who tried to sing and completely and utterly failed. But as we grow up and mature, we learn that is not what humor is, and it’s not right to laugh at the expense of others. Putting others down is a classic defense mechanism, sign of envy and insecure factor, among other things. Beyond that, it is rude and hurtful, and it can often lead to negative circumstances surrounding the victim. And if you’ve ever been laughed at, which I’m sure you have, it’s not fun. It isn’t enjoyable and it doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t give you a chance to defend yourself, especially without seeming desperate or “too hurt,” if that’s even a real complaint. After you learn the other side of it, humor looks a lot different in your eyes.
Amy Schumer is 34 years old. Let me put that another way -- Amy Schumer has had 34 years of life experience to learn that demeaning other women under the blanket term humor is not OK. Yet she continues to do just that. In that one Instagram caption, Schumer opened a boatload of problems, whether she realized the extent or not. Schumer has deemed it socially acceptable, through her use of celebrity power, to criticize other celebrities, other women of God, for their appearance. And that is not, and will never be, OK. Schumer undermined both the worth and hard work of Taylor Swift in two sentences, and that is disgraceful of another woman.
Instead of building other women with budding careers up, Schumer broke her down and did so intentionally and purposefully. Taylor Swift has worth, talent and is a hard worker, despite what her body tells us or doesn’t tell us. In fact, her body is not a story to tell. None of our bodies are stories to tell, and a 34-year-old woman is still completely ignorant to that fact.
While it may seem like a celebrity’s Instagram caption has no effect on you, think again. Think about the next time you comment on a woman’s body --celebrity or not. Think about how you view yourself in the mirror and how others view that same girl. Think about how you would feel if you were called out for something you have no control over. Think about the myriad of times you've judged another human by their appearance rather than their hard work, ethic or talent, but been offended when another individual did just that to you. And think about how Amy Schumer increased those chances even more, just through one Instagram comment.
Amy Schumer, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should be ashamed for opening the floodgates of criticism under the name of humor. You should be ashamed for undermining another woman’s success and placing your own feelings through appearance. You should be ashamed of acting immature and continuing the problem of blaming that we see so often in our society. You should be ashamed of acting anything except a dignified, respectable, 34 year old woman.
So if you think a celebrity's Instagram account has no effect on you, think again.
