I’ll be completely transparent: I’m not Amy Schumer’s biggest fan. I’ve tried watching her show, which I don’t find particularly funny — but I’ve always respected her willingness to speak her mind on feminist issues. She’s an unapologetic woman, and I can’t be mad at that. Until now.
Earlier this week, Glamour magazine unveiled a “Chic At Any Size” special edition issue as part of its newfound partnership with the plus-size clothing brand Lane Bryant. The magazine features model Ashley Graham on the cover and contains previously published articles on curvy celebs like Lena Dunham and Christina Hendricks (the feature stories were noticeably lacking women of color). One of the issue’s cover lines simply reads “Women who inspire us: Melissa McCarthy, Adele, Amy Schumer & Ashley Graham.” That’s it.
Cue the backlash from Amy.
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“I think there’s nothing wrong with being plus size,” Schumer wrote in an Instagram post. “Beautiful healthy women. Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8. @glamourmag put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know, and it doesn’t feel right to me. Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size?”
But what about grown women who are offended by your own take on the situation, Amy?
To quote Mindy Kaling,”I fluctuate between chubby and curvy.” On a good month, I can fit into my size eight curvy jeans, and I can occasionally snag a cute dress from someplace like Forever 21. With that being said, I am no stranger to size 14 pants either. Hell, my boobs take one look at Victoria’s Secret bras and laugh their way to the nearest Lane Bryant. So understandably, many of the women who I turn to for body positivity have a little more junk in the trunk (come through, Danielle Brooks!).
So how am I supposed to feel when Schumer makes what feels like a knee-jerk, desperate attempt to distance herself from a group of strong, beautiful women? And reminder: The magazine never referred to any of the women as “plus-sized”; this was Schumer’s own insertion.
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It is true that this issue was released in partnership with Lane Bryant, a clothing company who specifically caters to women size 12 and above. However, as Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leivi pointed out in a series of tweets following Schumer’s post, the tagline suggests nothing about the sizes of any of those women’s bodies; it was simply referring to their body-positive mentalities. Celebs such as Tracee Ellis Ross and Viola Davis are even included in one article, despite the fact that we can presumably agree that they are not “plus-sized.”
Ironically, Schumer’s Instagram message felt like the furthest thing from body-positivity. Her opening lines felt phony in a “No offense, but…” kind of way, and her entire comment felt off-brand. Where’s the frank, unapologetic Amy that people know and love? The person who would normally have made a quippy, smartass comment about the whole situation, then use her platform to instead speak out on something like why the term “plus-sized” is even an issue in the first place?
Instead we’re left with this: A so-called feminist comedienne who inadvertently might have showed her true colors.
What are your thoughts on the issue?