Here are some assorted photos of Amy Schumer at the Trainwreck premiere last night, plus some pics outside of an Apple Store – where she was about to do a “Meet the Filmmaker” appearance – this week in NYC. She looked nice at the premiere, but I do think she might need a new makeup person. That’s a mean thing to say, but on red carpets, her makeup has been looking very cakey and heavy for a while. Anyway, there’s a lot of new Schumer stuff, so let’s get to it. She’s promoting Trainwreck, plus she’s been the target of some very pointed criticism about her particular brand of comedy.
As we’ve discussed, The Guardian published a piece very critical of Amy’s racial humor, writing that Schumer has “a shockingly large blind spot around race.” Several other media outlets followed up on The Guardian’s coverage, including the Washington Post. WaPo published an op-ed declaring “Don’t believe her defenders. Amy Schumer’s jokes are racist.” You can read it here. But as quickly as those particular professors called her racist, some pointed out that those particular detractors had never even seen her stand-up act or her show. Hm.
Meanwhile, Schumer has some new interviews, like this one in Glamour. Glamour gave her the Trailblazer Award this year. Some highlights:
On her Trailblazer Award: “I’m going to start referring to myself as that from now on. When people ask if I’m a feminist, I’ll say, ‘I’m really more of a trailblazer…'”
Journeyman comedienne: “I’ve been working for a long time, but it feels like in the last two months it’s just gone crazy. Women come up to me in the street and hug me. They’re very handsy. A guy Tweeted me saying he loved me so much he wanted to eat my sh-t. I thought, ‘Eww!’ But I Favourited it.”
She feels beautiful: “I’m not the skinniest or prettiest girl. But who cares? I feel sexy and beautiful. I’m single, but never struggling for suitors. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I like myself, I’m proud of myself and people respond to that. The surgery and starving that comes with Hollywood is sick. I don’t want anything bad enough to not eat.”
I’m telling you… there’s some Lena Dunham happening here. But I will say this: I really hope to enjoy Amy Schumer more in the longterm than I ever enjoyed Lena Dunham. Dunham always annoyed me, but I really do believe (because it’s true) that Schumer has struggled and worked her ass off to get where she is.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
I love her show and stand up. I haven’t seen anything racist on it.
Agreed. I watch her show and I don’t remember watching it and thinking “how racist,” although I don’t usually watch her stand up so I could be missing something.
Still would take her any day over Lena.
As a New Yorker, I can’t relate to Lena D or her humor.
I know I love Amy too. I can’t stand Lena D either. I don’t know why Amy gets so much hate on ONTD. What’s wrong with those women? Amy is doing a lot for women in comedy right now. Can’t wait to see ‘Trainwreck’!
Amy doesnt have a narcisistic vibe to me (unlike Lena). Also, Lena’s not really funny. I dont mind either of them though, annoying as they may be, they seem to serve some function. Better them than some empty eyed circus dolls who make u fear for humanity.
Also, I don’t feel like Amy is trolling us. She is very attractive and presents herself as such. She isn’t regularly appearing in the most gawdawful outfits and then daring you to call her ugly so she can play the victim. (Unless I’m missing those stories?)
oh, i’d love to see some new ugly dress lol. Bring it on Lena, im ready. Smth fluffy pink with orange will do
Better her than say Chelsea Handler.
Chelsea isn’t a competition to anyone – Karma is taking care of her.
Chelsea now has to show her breasts for attention, none of the TV channels would even consider giving her a TV show, Netflix gave her a conditional show which depends entirely on the viewership.
This is what happens when you are a vile, disgusting, hypocritical racist who has no problems attacking children as well.
Chelsea Handler was the worst. Glad that her careeer has died. Her whole routine consisted of her making rude jokes about her friends.
The little I’ve seen of her act wasn’t funnt, it wasn’t offensive either.mbut the linked Interrobang article is correct, that WashPo op-ed calling Schumer racist was irresponsible.
I’ve never found her funny, but good for her if it’s her moment to shine.
Does anyone else think she looks like the Cabbage Patch dolls of the ’80’s? No, just me? I’ll see myself out …
she makes jokes about her having cabbage patch face
@Poppy – Now THAT is funny. I didn’t know that, but she totally does look like them.
“I’m not the skinniest or prettiest girl. But who cares?”
Then why bring it up?
Um, because she’s trying to help women that may not be the prettiest or skinniest. She’s trying to say be confident in yourself, and people will respond to that. Heaven forbid a girl not size 2 state that she’s feels pretty.
I’m not seeing anything relating to Lena Dunham here.
Exactly. Just the title of this article made me feel better. Hearing a celebrity say something like that feels damn good. What a positive message for women of all ages, especially young girls who have nothing but stick figure plastic barbie doll celebrities to look up to. It causes so many long-lasting problems for them. So is she helping women? I say yes she sure is.
Except Judd Apatow is the man behind the successes of Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham. So they do have that common factor.
Because the internet brings it up every day in every way. Read any public person’s social media replies and you’ll find plenty of image “advice”.
To show others that as long as you are happy and confident with yourself, it doesn’t matter if you fit the scope of what most women strive to look like these days (skinny and pretty)? There’s nothing wrong with what she said.
God forbid a woman come out and say she is happy with herself, despite the pressures to be skinny and drop dead gorgeous. *smh*
A lot of criticsm surrounding her— not her act— is that she’s not hot enough to warrant being famous, which is why she brings it up.
I know. It only shows how much she does, in fact, care.
I love Amy’s standup- I think she’s funny as hell. But I wish she’d stop putting herself down all the time. She’s a comedian, why does she have to point out she does not fit the ideal image of female beauty in the western world?
When did it happen that women feel like they have to apologize for not being “pretty”?
Sometimes, if you grow up not fitting the mold of what is considered pretty, being self-deprecating and joking about becomes a defense-mechanism, so much that it becomes almost automatic.
I think she’s very pretty.
She’s bringing up that she isn’t the prettiest or skinniest girl because she’s managed to be successful in an industry (and let’s face it, a world) that judges and rewards women based on their attractiveness. Name a female celebrity that looks like Jonah Hill or Eric Stonestreet or Leo DiCaprio or any of the dozens of other male celebs that are pudgy with potato faces. There’s only Melissa McCarthy and Schumer who’ve managed to work while not being thin and gorgeous. Even girls like Brittany Murphy who started out plump, cute, and girl next door morph into skinny lollipop-headed glamourous blondes.
Rebel Wilson, too.
Name one that isn’t a comedic actress and is under 40?
Gabby Sidibe is an under 40 dramatic actress who is very, very plus size. Nobody thought she’d have a career after Precious, but she’s worked consistently. When she was younger, Queen Latifah also did mostly dramatic and straight-woman comedy while being plus size.
Sizism impacts women more than men (intersectionality, woo!) but let’s not minimize the discrimination larger men face. I can’t think of an under 40 male dramatic actor, and fat male comedians nearly always lose weight when they hit the big time (Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Kevin James, etc).
Anyway Amy Schumer is funnier and more relatable than Lena and doesn’t seem to be a horrible person but I get the same “unearned manufactured buzz trumped up by some white male machine about some white feminist ‘real woman’ comic who’s more about being someone white middle class women can relate to than a real organic funny woman.”
TL;DR: I’ll pass.
Totally. I was going to post the same thing.
My comics are riddled with insecurities, esp. about the way they look. Men and women alike.
Well it must might be to stop the hints and helpful suggestions that weight focused people offer to people who gain weight. Sometimes you have to make it clear to them that you don’t care, otherwise they keep on with their “helpful suggestions. That’s my experience anyway
Exactly! She needs to STFU about that. It’s played out already!
Exactly! She needs to STFU about that. It’s played out already!
She’s not navel gazing in the way Dunham is, and I suspect she’ll start quietly adjusting her stand-up to be less racist. For that alone I prefer her over the overgrown toddler.
I’m not the skinniest or prettiest, but who cares?
You do. A lot.
Yep.
She really does. Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
It seems like you are missing what’s largely the point of her comedy, which is that women don’t have to be the thinnest or the prettiest to matter and do good work. Sure, she’s using herself as an example, but her act (which I’ve seen live) is very much about feminism and how ridiculous beauty standards are for women. She does this in a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek style, that is provocative without being angry.
We can disagree on what type of humor is funny to us, but can’t we agree that someone willing to go to bat for women’s rights is awesome?! She’s been around for years and has worked hard to achieve what she has. Hell, even if she does care if she’s pretty and thin, so what? I love having her out there fighting for all of us.
Yes I wish she would change her narrative. I’m a chubby girl (much more than her – if you can call her that), and I know how I feel but I don’t bring it up every two seconds. Then again, I’m not a celebrity in the least, but In my country, I’m known for being a up and coming Fashion Designer, and I feel how people are surprised I hold a diploma in Fashion and I dress like your average fat girl (in a country not known for having flattering fashionable choices for my sizes), and I don’t look fashionable enough or like I struggle in life, and am not thin and super on trend. I feel the pressure, but one thing I feel proud enough not to do is always talk about myself like “I’m a great designer DESPITE the fact that I’m fat” – Totally unrelated to my work, why should I bring it up? It gives me much more pleasure to see people coming up to me congratulating me for my work, with a surprise look in their eyes when they realize oh I am talented and my looks have nothing to do with it.
I wish hollywood, our society, the world would AT LEAST stop asking us about it. People will always wonder or think about it when they look at us, but don’t push us to feel like justifying ourselves and saying oh you know I look like this but I’ve had many men wanting me, People love me despite this or that.
Amy, you look great, you are talented then just talk about something else. Better yourself and stop headlining everything related to you with “my weight” and oh “people want me so much”.
Go with “I’m talented and awesome”. Sounds cocky too but at least people can google you, go to your shows and see for themselves.
Do you have a website where people can see your work? I’d be interested to see it!
Thank you Lynnie – I’m flattered and happy 🙂
Haven’t done much since graduating last year, just our Local fashion week ” Mozambique Fashion Week” and you can see my work here:
http://onlymingas.tumblr.com/post/114482138470/mozambique-fashion-week-2014-graduate-fashion#notes
Previous work before going to fashion school:
http://onlymingas.blogspot.com/2011/12/spring-affair-mozambique-fashion-week.html
And Lynnie. Thank you for actually making me go through the archives of my blogs (looking for links to show you my work), and remembering some things I conveniently hid in the back of my mind, while facing my own struggles now that I’m back in the real world and fending for myself… I keep making excuses. This was a great reminder.
Sorry if I’m oversharing here. I just had sort-of an epiphany 🙂
I just browsed your links, and I love your work! And I’m pretty sure that I was able to pick you out of the pics, and I think you have a great style even though you are not the size of the models (I’m not either, and would rather see how clothes look on real sized women). Good for you for following your dreams!
@Mimz-WOW your designs are gorgeous!
I love the palette and the fabrics you used. Please overshare away! 😀
Also, I’m seriously IN LOVE with that blue and green ensemble on the middle model in the second link.
Great stuff Mimz. Great lines and cool complemetary colours. I love the green blouse over blue skirt with the sash and the mint green skirt with the orange sleeveless. Is that you in the Zebra top in the first link? Gorgeous smile girl.
Kitten, I choose me, Brandy Alexander, Lynnie.
THANK YOU so much for your kind words!! Im quite insecure in what regards to my work and this is the first time Im gettin feeback from the world. You are so kind and I am so happy.
You guys are great
Regarding my personal style well it’s more about my financial situation and the selection of clothing for my body type. It’s not easy… But I try.
I will keep in mind all your words and keep working on myself and my design work. And I promise to share my workmaybe here to you guys in some other post.
I also need to catch up on my blog…
Bless you all and I shall overshare again hopefully soon 🙂
I’m late to the party and commenting from my phone, so who knows where this will end up or if you’ll even see this but I just wanted to jump in and say omg Mimz, the pants in your second link are DIVINE. Like, I want to own them immediately. Great proportions, love the higher waist with the wider leg. I’ve been looking for pants just like that (complicated by the fact that I’m almost 6 feet tall). LOVE. THEM. Love that color palette too. Keep up the good work!
Wow, i am absolutely in love with your collection and your style! I am a fashion designer myself, though no where at the level of showing at a fashion week like you! Let me know if you want to connect, would love to hear more from you!!!
@InvaderTak: It’s strange how we got such different responses to similar posts.
I was about to say the same. And I agree with both of you, she sounds resentful for not being pretty (thin, actually, because her face is no different than any unamed “hot girl” in some movie).
@namedropper: yeah that is odd. Maybe yours got the defenders because it was first and mine got the agreeers because it was later? Idk
But in all fairness, she is a celebrity – thus in the spotlight constantly…even when she feels bloated, when she has a couple of pimples that decided to appear out of nowhere, when she does not feel like doing her makeup or getting dressed for the camera! I would totally be paranoid and every little thing would be a constant worry. I love this girl, but would not trade my simple boring life for hers!!
She protests too much to be honest .
But what do you want ?! Pratt talks all time about his new fit body.Lawrence talks all time about body shaming .Amy will talk about not to be a skinny girl
People call her fat and ugly all the time. She’s a woman rising to fame so people will comment on her appearance all the time. Lets cut her some slack here.
If she’s didn’t care she wouldn’t have made it her thing to talk about it constantly. She answers the interview questions instead of shutting them down because it gets her name in the press. Just like the Taylor Johnson’s and talking about their marriage. She can’t feed the mill with her stand-up and interviews and then turn around and accuse the audience of focusing on it. People are mean about almost everything. And Amy has the benefit of a leagion of supporters and bloggers to prop her up. So I’m out of slack here.
Certainly she does.
Otherwise, I do not think people pay that much attention to her. She is not conventionally attractive or even pretty. And nobody expects her to be anyway.
She is pandering and fishing for compliments imo.
Ding! Ding! DING!
“The surgery and starving that comes with Hollywood is sick. I don’t want anything bad enough to not eat….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amen. And the most evil pieces of work roaming about LA. Are the ones that don’t eat. 🙂
Nothing makes a girl more evil… than being hungry. I joke about it all the time. It is amazing what an afternoon snack will do to improve my mood. Bring me a snack, if you want a favor after 2pm.
So true, Hautie! My afternoon coffee/tea with cookies is my most favorite meal of the day!!
I’ll give her a year before she has lap band surgery, it looks bothers her that’s why she talks about them in every interview.
Most comedians start out humble then success goes to their heads, and their real character comes out, let’s hope she don’t turn into another Chelsea Handler posting half naked pictures that even horny teenager can’t get pleasure from.
This also happens to every single female celeb that isn’t a stick. They al start out talking about embracing their curves and blah blah etc, and then end up working out with Tracey Anderson like Lena Dunham. I like Amy now but I am skeptical that she won’t turn into one of those hypocrites.
Okay, so maybe my sarcasm-meter is off, so I’ll take the bait. She doesn’t need lap band surgery – she’s just a very average size – what? Maybe a size 10-12? We just think she looks huge because we are so used to seeing all these celebrities with eating disorders or who are constantly dieting and are a size 0-2. Also, she’s being photographed which adds about 10 lbs. I bet if any of us saw her on the street we’d either not take any notice of her or we’d think, what a nice dress, etc.
You have to be severely overweight to get the lap band surgery.
Boston – she said somewhere she’s 160, so she’s probably an 8-10. I’m 150 and wear a 4/6.
I like her show and I’ve seen her live. Her act is not racist. For those who don’t like her brand of comedy, that’s fine. No-one’s asking you to. Go back to whatever you were watching before. This woman has worked her ass off to get to this point and she deserves all the success she’s having right now. She’s been at for a long time and I bet it’s been like swimming against the current for most of it. She now gets to enjoy going with it. I hope it carries her far.
Girls/young women – look to Amy. I don’t mean you have to laugh at all of her jokes but listen to her message. Luckily for us it’s not just hidden in her comedy any more.
I’m really tired of this girl’s shtick, which is the same as Mindy Kaling’s or Lena Dunham’s: she keeps telling that she’s more than her looks and it doesn’t matter how many men find her bangable, yet she has one and only obssession, idea and reason of being : her looks and what men think about her.
what can she do if she’s constantly criticised for it and asked about how ugly she is?
Yeah, this. If the pressure gets to the most beautiful, you can only imagine what it does to people who dont fit the Hollywood mold. Clearly she’s hurt by it, and that’s okay. She has a target on her head like the fat chick on the cheerleading squad because she thinks she deserves something that other people dont think she does. And of course the irony here is that if you saw her in real life, you’d consider her nice looking in a girl next door way.
Thank you. People bring up how “different” she is from the rest of Hollywood (the PC way of telling her she’s fat and ugly) all the time. If thats all people ask her about, thats all she will talk about.
II ‘m gonna have to assume that you’ve never watched her show, because her schtick is much more complex. And very very funny.
I didn’t watch her show because I don’t live in the States, but I’ve seen more than a dozen videos on the Internet with the most important/ famous moments/ episodes of her show.
It’s the same thing over and over again, like in Kaling’s and Dunham’s case: pity me, I’m fat and not conventionally attractive and judged by this sh*tty society, but yay me, I’m so lucky because some men still want to screw me, and this is a true accomplishment for a fat girl like me!
But you are one of the funniest which is what counts.
Milk milk lemonade. I really find her to be very funny. And her stand up is great.
Excuse me, guys? It’s an interview? Wasn’t she probably asked a question relating to her size and/or looks? I listened to a long Howard Stern interview with her recently and never felt like she went on about any of that. She mighta made some jokes about it…plus her message is one of self-acceptance, so I’m reallllly not getting the snark directed at her. smh over here, too
I agree…I don’t know much about her and haven’t seen her stand up, but I don’t think it’s something that she brings up constantly. I think she (like every female celebrity) gets asked about it over and over again so it seems like that’s all she talks about.
+100 on the makeup, and at this point–just a new stylist. It would be worth every penny for her at this point in her career–she deserves a better look and it wouldn’t take much to get her there.
I think on paper, her jokes are funny, but her delivery kills it for me. She sounds really unengaged and bored during her stand-up routines, and it’s distracting from the quality of her material.
I thought I was the only one who didn’t get her. I’ve tried watching her show and her stand up and it’s just not funny. It should be funny but it just doesn’t work.
I had heard her name and heard the hullabaloo about her weight – I finally saw the trailer for her movie and was shocked that this is the “fat girl” that people were talking about. Are you freaking kidding me?! The world has gone mad.
She was amazing oh Graham Norton’s talk show a while back. Some of her early stiff went a tad too far for me but the groove she’s in now is fantastic.
Yeah, Graham Norton was where I first saw her and she was awesome. She also had great chemistry with Stephen Merchant.
And she also managed to make Letterman completely uncomfortable when on his show. Amy was being her usual bawdy self (or at least her comedy self), and Letterman was cringing in his chair, like, Eww, ladies should not talk like that.
I’ve been watching her show lately, and she is pretty funny
I don’t get what her point is with repeatedly saying how often men hit on her or want to sleep with her. So what? I hope that’s not the source of this confidence she’s always talking about, but it sure sounds like it… And if we’re being honest, a lot of men will hit on just about anyone, so there’s really no angle from which it’s healthy or logical to use that as a point of pride.
She brings it up because they ask. The interviews always ask the questions that we think they answer too much.
As far as her comedy goes, I think she’s great. If you haven’t Arendt, check out her appearance on Graham Norton. Perfection. Some guy named Sam Jackson was on too. 😉
I do not care for her show or stand up at all. I don’t think she’s racist, but she just doesn’t do it for me. But, she makes a lot of other people laugh and it works for her. I don’t think she is big at all, but she needs to work on that makeup.
I like Amy and I think shes miles ahead of Lena Dunham. Lena is just a narcissistic troll. Amy seems more grounded. I dont get her humor, though, and I dont watch her shows or stand up routines. I just dont get it. But I wish her success.
Amy’s father is very well connected in the comedy world. I doubt there was not struggle.
Amy’s father is/was a furniture manufacturer, not a comedian.
I like what she said about her self. Its refreshing.
People are never happy no matter what celebs do. If they’re too relatable, the public begins to call it a shtick and find them annoying. If they’re arrogant and stuck up, that’s a problem too.
What I like about Mindy Kaling and Amy is that they do look like real people. They probably talk about it so much because the fact that they’re not stunningly gorgeous supermodels who wear a size 2 is a) the elephant in the room, and b) a topic that CONSTANTLY comes up.
“I’m not the skinniest or prettiest girl. But who cares? I feel sexy and beautiful.”
I like this quote because I can relate to it. I spent my teen years and early 20s feeling an immense amount of pressure to be perfect and I was miserable. It took me such a long time to finally come to the realization that I’m never going to be perfect and I needed to learn to love myself. I respect that Mindy and Amy feel that way too. As a society, we need more of this and I don’t get why talking about it pisses people off.
Gawd Bless you Kaiser! your Amy Shumer is a likable Lena Dunham observation is not only spot on, but it actually helps me explain (and get over) why I haven’t been able to like her. NOW I can. I feel bad disliking celebrities, but I was not a fan before this new characterization.
I bloody tired of that line. Its like she’s apologising for being on tv and not being flawless…. so why not disguise it as some sort of celebratory fist in the air for the not so pretty and not so skinny chicks. “Im not perfect, sorry, but I am me and me is just fine for me and all of you should be just fine for yourselves, yay positivity!!!”