Amy Schumer (comedian, writer, actress, and producer) is best known for her witty, delightfully offensive jokes, often serving as a form of brutally honest social commentary.

In the past few years, Schumer has gone from a television star to the big screen with hit films, "Trainwreck" and "Kidnapped". Due to the massive success of these two previous movies, fans everywhere were thrilled when it was announced that the official trailer for Schumer's latest project, "I Feel Pretty", was set to be released last Thursday, February 8th.

The movie's plot revolves around an "average" looking young woman, named Renee (played by Schumer), who believes that her life is hitting a dead end because she's not attractive enough. While partaking in a spin class, Renee falls off of her bike, hitting her head. The resulting injury causes her to see herself as an extremely beautiful woman, rather than her actual reflection. This new outlook gives Renee an insane confidence boost and she begins to achieve all of her goals, as well as receive a far different reception from the society than what she had previously encountered.

Upon viewing the trailer, my immediate take away from the moral of the story was that simply having self-confidence is the key to success and that women (too often) tend to overlook this, having been taught that outward appearances are the only thing that matter.

While I found the premise to be inspiring and was immediately excited for the movie to hit theaters, in a not-so-unexpected turn of events, I soon learned that the trailer had struck a nerve with other viewers, who were taking to, (you guessed it), Twitter to express their distaste.

The uproar started on February 9th when comedian, Sofie Hagen, launched into a Twitter thread, attacking Amy Schumer's movie.

The gist of Hagen's Twitter thread was basically that "I Feel Pretty" was massively offensive, mainly due to the fact that the subject of the movie is not an absolute troll and, therefore, shouldn't have ever lacked confidence in the first place.

The thread went viral (as all misinformed, hate-filled things on Twitter tend to do), starting an all out shit storm on the concept of the movie.

Here are screenshots of Hagen's thread, with my response to her statements:

My Response:

First of all, Schumer has said many times, both in her stand up and in interviews, that she's never felt like she fit the mold necessary to be deemed, "Hollywood attractive", and has been told as much by people in the industry. While definitely "rest-of-the-world attractive", as Hagen puts it, it's perfectly reasonable for someone in the spotlight of such an "appearance-based" industry to feel self-conscious for not being 110 pounds.

Secondly, where does Hagen get off telling someone that they don't have the right to feel self-conscious because they're blonde, white, femme, and thin? Just because other people (Hagen included, it would appear) are envious of Schumer and women that look like her, doesn't mean that their feelings of inadequacy are any less justified. As far as Hagen's "able-bodied" comment is concerned, many able-bodied women feel self-conscious about their appearances- that doesn't mean they aren't thankful for their health. They're simply human beings and THEY ARE ENTITLED TO FEELING THE WAY THAT THEY FEEL, despite what Hagen and her Twitter cronies believe.

My Response:

It seems as though Hagen's own insecurities about her weight are her primary driving force when it comes to attacking the concept of the movie. Because Schumer is smaller than she is, she doesn't believe that Schumer has a right to portray a character seen as "overweight". Schumer often portrays characters in this category, as she herself (despite Hagen's opinion) is not society's view of "the ideal body type" and it's a source of insecurity for her, as she frequently states. Schumer's portrayal of characters like this, who overcome their negative feelings towards their bodies, is a way of dealing with her own struggles with self-image while helping women see that "beautiful" isn't necessarily synonymous with being extremely thin.

It's not fair for women like Hagen to insist that any "overweight" character must be played by someone obese, rather than an average/slightly above average sized actress.

As a woman who has many insecurities about her weight and body type, I really need to see women like Schumer (who are around my size) in roles like this because that's who I identify with. It's not fair to say that body issues and weight issues can only be had by women larger than a size 12 when we live in a society that views anything over a 5 as "unattractive".

Obese women do not have a monopoly on issues relating to body image.

My Response:

Hagen continues to miss the point of the movie. The main character is supposed to represent "the average woman". It's supposed to be universally relatable.

My Response:

"Hollywood's excuse"? As in Hollywood creating movies, specifically for the purpose of casting actresses like Schumer in order to gain brownie points? No. Screenplays like this get picked up by stars like Schumer because it's fits her brand, which has always been female empowerment. If Schumer had sensed for ONE SECOND that the script was insincere, she wouldn't have been on board. One just has to review her past work to know this.

My Response:

Once again, Hagen invalidates the feelings of women. Schumer has admitted to having been told that she was overweight and unattractive. In fact, most women have had their bodies criticized at least once in their lifetime, especially those in the entertainment industry.

My Response:

Are you kidding me with this one? The point of the "brain injury" is that it took an extreme for Schumer's character to finally get that sense of self-confidence. This is SOCIAL COMMENTARY, which one would think a self-proclaimed comedian like Hagen would have picked up on instantly. This is about how society trains women to believe one thing for so long that it takes an extreme, (such as hitting one's head), to snap out of this way of thinking.

My Response:

"She is all the things and still she is not considered pretty." Yes, that is the point of the movie. Schumer's character is "all the things", but lacked confidence in herself due to the impossible standards set by society that have been ingrained into her mind from an early age. She is perfect the way that she is, as every woman is perfect the way that they are. That. Is. The. Whole. Fucking. Point. Hagen just continues to miss this because she's so fixated on someone that she views as more attractive than herself, being portrayed in the movie as "unattractive".

My Response:

The movie's concept is pro-women to its very core. Hagen, on the other hand, is obviously not considering the fact that she'll tell another woman that she's not entitled to feeling insecure solely because Hagen, herself, is more insecure. It's not a contest.

My Response:

First and foremost, many boutiques, such as the one that appeared in the trailer, don't carry certain "larger" sizes (yes, usually this category includes sizes larger than a 5/6) in the store. That's why the clerk said to try online. This isn't an odd phenomenon in stores that cater to "high fashion". They have a certain body type that they want associated with their brand, which is why they cater directly to that target market within their stores. They don't want "larger" women wearing their clothes or even seen shopping in their stores. They want their brand to feel like an exclusive club, available only to those few able to fit into it. Most normal stores carry up to a size 12, which is what Hagen seemed to be referring to in the portion of her rant in which she proclaims that Schumer's size 8 is readily available in any clothing store. However, in the movie trailer, Schumer wasn't at an Old Navy or Anne Taylor, meaning that her being snubbed for her size was not out of the realm of possibility.

(End of thread)

Below are just a few of the tweets, condemning "I Feel Pretty":

*Amy Schumer has yet to comment on the controversy, probably because she has better things to do.

For me, it's really frustrating to see so many people already denouncing the movie and ignoring the obvious takeaway for such bullshit reasons.

As I said before, in response to some of Sofie Hagen's comments, ANYONE is allowed to harbor insecurities about themselves. It's not fair of people to say "you're white so you can't feel bad about yourself" or "you're only slightly overweight so you can't feel fat". The truth is, someone is always going to be more attractive than you, and someone is always going to be less attractive than you. Similarly, someone is always going to have things better than you, and someone is always going to be worse off than you.

One night at a party, I met a girl who was drop dead gorgeous and very thin (the type of thin I've always longed to be), and she was pinching her practically non-existent stomach and crying because she believed she "was fat". I did NOT sit there while she cried and tell her to stop feeling insecure because her idea of "fat" was my idea of "perfect". I sat there and listened to her, offering reassurance when necessary; but never once did I invalidate her feelings by telling her that because I viewed her as better off than me, she had no right to complain, as people such as Hagen seem to believe.

The girl you see on campus or at the mall or on the cover of a magazine that you wish you looked like every single night, has things about herself that she hates. That girl has been put down about some aspect of her appearance, and when she sees herself, where you see perfection, all she sees are her flaws.

At the same time, there are people who see you and wish they had your nose or your hair or your body and would think you crazy for wanting to look like someone else.

Women have warped perceptions of themselves. We've grown up our whole lives, manipulated by Photoshopped images, role models with eating disorders, and the insane level of importance based on being a certain standard of beautiful, over being smart or funny.

Say all you want about the progression of society. This fact as not changed.

"I Feel Pretty" is a movie that tells girls that they need to escape from these mental prisons that we've ALL been locked away in throughout our lives; any inclination towards being confident in ourselves, beaten away with the constant, harsh criticisms of society.

Do you actually have to hit your head and sustain a brain injury to believe that you're worth anything? Of course, not! The notion that the film suggests that is absurd.

But if you listen to the actual message of the movie, you'll see that by breaking down that mental block that's been constructed overtime, and finally allowing yourself to see someone beautiful and worthy when you look in the mirror, you can unlock any door.

The lack of self-confidence holds you back. Letting go of insecurities and simply living your best life is the answer to being truly happy and fulfilled.

This is a lesson that I need to learn, as well as Hagen and other women bashing the movie.

Thank you, Amy Schumer, for once again, signing onto a project that furthers the concept of self-love and striving to be the best version of yourself. I can't wait to see the film!

Share your thoughts on "I Feel Pretty" in the comments below.