Amy Schumer is an Emmy Award winning comedian, writer and actress. Around the time I had been searching for answers about my own life, she came out with her film, Trainwreck. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that this woman is probably my long lost sister, but also the most brave, heartfelt, honest and vulnerable person who has taken this world by storm.
We know she can make us laugh. We know she can turn anyone's frown into an upward smile while probably making them pee themselves. We know all her sexual innuendos, fantasies and want for more of them. Always.
What I didn't know is what made me love her even more. In her book, The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo, she brings up topics that need to be heard and need to be discussed. Topics that have been trying so hard to be heard, but somehow still can never get the point across to everyone.
She speaks of sexual assault, reminding me and so many other woman that it is so much more common than we all thought. That it has become so widespread. "We have to talk about it. Everyone should understand that there are no excuses for non consensual sex." She reminded me I wasn't alone.
She speaks of gun violence in a way that makes you want to crawl in a ball and cry but also stand on a mountain and scream at the entire world that this is something that needs to be stopped.
She reminds us to love ourselves, one of the most important lessons I will ever learn and continue to learn as a woman. To have Amy say, "You don't need a man or a boy or a self-proclaimed love expert to tell you what you're worth. Your power comes from who you are and what you do," reminded me to love myself even more.
A woman who needs affirmation of laughs to know she's doing okay sometimes, who trusts not easily because of her past, has gone through hell and back and continues to grow, is someone I strive to be.
She reminds us that no one is perfect. (I know, cliche, right?) But she reminds us by showing us the most vulnerable parts of her life.
She reminded me that all the mistakes I have made in my life and the hardships I have faced are something I should be proud of.
So thank you, Amy, for writing your stories that have made me laugh in public too many times to count to get stared at by strangers and for moments that have made me cry like a 5 year old child who needs her baby blanket. You have changed the world, not just by your jokes but by being you, and I think that's quite amazing.
