Amy Schumer, star of Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, has found a place in the hearts of feminists everywhere for standing up against misogyny and society's unhealthy obsession with judging women's bodies, beauty and sexual habits. Interestingly, she has paved this path through raunchy, sex-filled sketch and stand-up comedy.
She is not breaking ground to be the first female comedian to take this approach, but she is the current media darling and rising star for feminism. Celebuzz! loves her so much, they dubbed her "Our Heroic Goddess of Comedy":
Amy Schumer is unapologetically the controversial, heroic, unabashed feminist comedian we love and need, and for that and one hundred thousand reasons more, she is this week’s Instant Follow Friday.
Other media outlets are joining the chorus due to Schumer's recent acceptance speech after winning the Trailblazer of the Year award given by Glamour magazine. Entertainment Weekly said her "filthy" speech is a "must-watch" and called it "empowering." Time agreed that it was empowering and added that it was "crazy funny."
The line from the speech that is getting the most attention is when Schumer said: "I'm like 160 pounds right now, and I can catch a d*** whenever I want."
The rules are changing because this is not considered sexist, it is now feminism.
Mic.com's Kate Hakala explained why this is apparently so groundbreaking [uncensored]:
Words matter: While Schumer's joke might be crass, that's the point — and it's more important than we realize. "Catch a dick" is the type of offhanded but sexually charged phrase we'd normally hear from a man, someone who "scores" or "totally banged" someone or "blow your load."
By using "catch a dick" (which, let's just note, is an excellent phrase) to note her weight doesn't make her less sexually desirable, Schumer is co-opting the language of objectification and giving herself sexual agency. In a culture where women still refrain from boldly talking about their sexuality in and out of the bedroom, and where women are hesitant to use typically male words (see: "jerk off"), Schumer's frankness is not only hilarious — it's empowering.
Anna Cafolla of UK's The Independent praised this fresh(?) approach to female comedy and hopes it becomes the norm:
We can all look forward to the day when what Schumer is doing isn’t trailblazing. What she’s saying and doing should be the norm, where women can talk about their sexual exploits, their imperfect bodies and it isn’t classed as vulgar or improper. So keep doing you, Amy Schumer. I wish my 14-year-old self heard a speech on hanging pine fresheners from vaginas.
It is interesting to note that Schumer accepted an award from a magazine that has built its legacy on the objectification of women's looks. She said she was glad to see them "loving real people" this year at the awards ceremony.
Speech below (obviously NSFW):
Schumer posted a credit to Twitter to all her fans:
