Amy Schumer. An uncensored, unapologetic, hilarious woman that isn't phased by anything that people say about her. While she has no filter, many of us praise her for her ability to be open and honest with her fans, which is why she is so well-liked. She has an opinion on just about every controversial topic out there, and we love her for it.
1. No body-shaming here!
In our society today, young girls are growing up with the idea that, in order to be "pretty" or "wanted", they need to be "skinny." But, what is skinny, really? We are so caught up in the media's expectation of beauty, that some people are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill these "standards".
If more people knew just how outstanding the statistics were on body image, maybe we'd be more willing to help make a change. According to Do Something:
Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media.
58% of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight.
Studies show that the more reality television a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find appearance important.
More than 1/3 of the people who admit to “normal dieting,” will merge into pathological dieting. Roughly 1/4 of those will suffer from a partial or full-on eating disorder.
How terrifying are these statistics? Unfortunately, we all probably know of at least one person who fits one of these. Now, if only we had more women in the media to help us eliminate these unrealistic expectations that skinny is best. Hmm, luckily, this is where Amy Schumer comes in.
When Glamour Magazine put Schumer in their "plus size category" she decided to step in and use her voice on Instagram: "I think there's nothing wrong with being plus size. 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? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamourous."
We're not defined by our weight or our bodies. We determine our own self-worth.
2. Confidence is key.
If there is any woman in the media that's going to stand up for herself no matter what it may take - it's going to be Amy Schumer. But even she, just like everyone else in the world, might be uncertain about herself at times. She says, "I still stand in front of that mirror sometimes with doubts. But even on my worst day when I'm feeling awful, I smile and say, 'You're doing the best you can. Good job, bitch!'"
We tend to waste so much time nit-picking our faults and tearing ourselves apart, I know I have. Confidence isn't something that we just have, but rather something that comes with time when we stop comparing ourselves to others. If we're able to do that, then we've already come so far!
3. Speak your mind.
For some, this may be difficult. But for her? It's never a problem. This woman has absolutely no filter - and I think that's just one more thing that makes her that much more inspiring. Some things that society might be afraid to address (such as sex and feminism) is an everyday topic for her.
In her July cover story with Vogue, she said, "I have this innate need to say things that I think are important for people to hear. And I can’t stand injustice, so even if it makes people uncomfortable, I’m not afraid enough of conflict to keep my mouth shut."
4. Ignore the people who try to tear you down.
No matter what, people are always going to have something to say. It may be positive, and if it is, then appreciate those people. If it's negative, it's not worth your time. Sometimes we get so caught up in the things that people say about us, but dwelling on people who have nothing nice to say isn't worth your time and is the last thing you need to deal with.
