As Taylor Swift celebrated another Grammy win on Feb. 15, comedian Amy Schumer posted a playful photo alongside friend and fellow comedian Bridget Everett on Instagram. Schumer stood behind Everett on a beach, with her hands thrown up and legs separated. Her caption said, "Taylor that's not a thigh gap. This is a thigh gap."
Some fans defended Schumer through claims that it's how she embraces her own body, or it's a part of her comedic style and it's just a joke.
But where's the line between a "joke" and outright body-shaming?
As an advocate for defying beauty standards in Hollywood, Schumer has expressed the struggles of being "outside" the typical hollywood appearance.
“It’s been a struggle for me my whole life, especially just being in the entertainment industry, standing on a stage in front of people," Schumer said in a previous interview. "I can’t perform my best or be confident if I’m not sure, if I’m pulling at something. Sometimes I would just want to throw in the towel and say, ‘I’m not going to do stand-up tonight.’”
Schumer, along with other celebrities, has tried to shift the perception of beauty throughout the media to include women across a spectrum of size and color.
But fans of both Schumer and Swift argued that shaming other women's physical appearances is destructive to self-esteem and hurtful to all women.
"Calling women out for being fat or thin is body shaming and is not OK or funny. Let's just all support each other. Not shame each other," drsylviemom commented on the Instagram post.
"You could say the same about your friend Jennifer Lawrence? I thought we were past taking down other women for what is or isn't a 'real body'? Disappointed in you Amy," ajlovesbbq said.
Though Swift hasn't commented about the post, fans and women across the country are concerned about the battle between embracing your body and tearing down others.
But why does it have to be one or the other?
Schumer's post could've easily captioned with something equally as funny that promotes her own beauty instead of focusing on Swift's physical appearance.
I understand that it was sarcasm and meant to be funny. But as someone who struggles with her own body, I don't understand how pointing out and shaming someone else for their body as "funny."
Honestly, we need to cut that sh*t out.
Body-shaming someone for being too fat or too skinny is not only hurtful to them, but also hurtful to everyone who is embarrassed about their thigh gap or their love handles. Self-esteem impacts everyone, whether you notice it or not.
The media will never change how it perceives women if we can't stop analyzing and judging the women around us and start supporting one another. Once we can respect ourselves, society will start to respect a wider definition of beauty.
Whether you're a size 18 or a size 00, we all deserve respect, not just for our looks but for who we are as people. No need to compliment every woman you meet