Being in the public eye is never an easy road. Though many people look up to celebrities, critics are common and often speak louder than fans. Whenever an entertainer decides their profession, they know people will not always be kind to them. Amy Schumer has always known this and embraces it head on.
Being a female figure in comedy is difficult enough, but since her style of comedy is a self-deprecating one, it is easy for critics and even fans to think they can then joke about her personal life. That was the case for 17-year old fan and critic Jackson Murphy. Murphy, who runs his own website, “Lights-Camera-Jackson,” was able to meet Amy Schumer alongside his father at the Critics Choice Awards. The comedian and young critic took a photo together and spoke briefly.
Murphy tweeted the photo saying, “Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that. #CriticsChoiceAwards.” The tweet went viral after Amy Schumer replied, “I get it. Cause I’m a whore? Glad I took a photo with you. Hi to your dad.” Murphy then deleted his tweet and apologized. Schumer forgave him but this situation has sparked many different opinions. Some people have called Schumer hypocritical and meanwhile others have praised her for standing up about a double-standard that many women face in today’s society.
Schumer did an excellent job of being honest and calling the fan out without crushing his reputation. She channeled her anger in the right direction and used this moment to teach a young boy that it is not okay to think of women as whores because they openly speak about their sex lives. Men are often praised for being a “player” while women are thought of to classless if they even speak about sex. Murphy’s tweet shows how blind people can be to the issue. Murphy did not intend to offend to 51 percent of the population. He honestly thought he was making a light-hearted joke that Schumer would appreciate.
People are not aware how comments like this feed into bigger issues. No one, no matter the gender, should be judged or insulted for their sexual activities and many people haven’t figured that out yet. Schumer and Murphy’s exchange will hopefully show people that they do not have a right to comment on how others live their lives even if they are a public figure. People often get confused because if Amy Schumer, and other comedians, can joke about their sex lives, then why can’t everyone else? People must realize that comedians are not putting themselves out there to get made fun of or insulted.
They are joking about personal issues to hopefully shed light on the issues our society faces daily. That is exactly what Amy Schumer displayed here. She should be praised for helping the young man and others see that celebrities are people too and no one should joke about another person's sex life no matter how funny it is when that person does it.
