If you haven’t already heard, one of our favorite celebrities of 2015, Amy Schumer, posed nude for the annual Pirelli calendar. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the calendar, it has historically featured beautiful women, who confidently embraced their sexuality and posed seductively, as noted by the Daily Beast. Past calendar girls have included Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid, Sophia Loren, Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen, among various other high profile stars. However, the 43rd edition of the calendar takes on a new tone and is quite different from what would be expected from a collection of pin-up photographs. The withstanding themes of beauty and sensuality remain the same, but the 2016 calendar girls prove that confidence really is sexy!
Next year’s calendar was executed under the creative genius of Annie Leibovitz, and it was her goal to guide it in a new direction. According to a press conference released the same day that Schumer made headlines for posing topless, Leibovitz, “...Wanted to show the women exactly as they are, with no pretense.” Schumer can be found confidently facing the camera with a cup of coffee while rocking a cute pair of heels. Her body is not perfect, she is not photoshopped or airbrushed, and quite frankly, she looks damn good!
Of course, social media has been exploding over her photo. Most people were first exposed to the image when Schumer released a tweet. She tagged the image and wrote, “Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you @annieleibovitz”. After viewing her photo, I couldn’t help but wonder what society thought. Personally, I think it takes a lot of courage and guts to portray oneself in such a vulnerable state. Many social media goers, especially women, were in full support of Amy, but other criticized her. There was an abundance of comments pointing her out and calling her “chubby.” Quite a few individuals mentioned that she is “disgusting,” or telling her to “put some clothes on.” Some noted that she is an “eyesore,” or that they “lost all respect for her.” Hey, instead of shaming her on social media, Amy Schumer’s confidence needs to be celebrated.
A lack of body confidence is an epidemic that is affecting a large majority of the female population. According to NYC Girls Project, over 80% of ten-year-old girls are afraid of being fat, and a 2010 study revealed that 81% of females want to see “real “ or “natural” photos of models as opposed to airbrushed images. Well, girls, here you go- Amy Schumer has delivered once again, and this time, it's not a Trainwreck! Her photo is "goals!"
Her boundless confidence is evident in every pixel of her photo. She exemplifies not only sex appeal, but also intelligence, poise, and strength. Schumer is gut-wrenchingly honest about her insecurities, and she subconsciously promotes positive body image. As a woman, exhibiting body confidence is a daily challenge. Believe it or not, "weight-ism" exists. Due to the mass amounts of rail-thin supermodels plaguing the media, society creates an unfair bias and stigma on the basis of weight, which is extremely detrimental to one's self awareness. Schumer transcends the stereotypes and annihilates society’s constructs of beauty. She is real, she relatable, and most importantly, she is comfortable in her own skin.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but Amy Schumer’s raw self acceptance is remarkably admirable. She is a role, and her authenticity is evident. She isn’t afraid to be who she is. So forget the haters, you keep doing you, Amy! Thank you for showing the world what it is like to be a real woman!
