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In Defense of Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty
In Defense of Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty
The comedian's new film has been slammed by critics as sexist and regressive. Here are the best defenses for the self-esteem comedy.
After facing a huge backlash the moment its trailer dropped, the flick I Feel Pretty has been a cause for much-heated discussion (especially by critics; it has a 36 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Is it sexist? Superficial? Demeaning to women of size?
The film stars Amy Schumer as Renee, an insecure woman surrounded by Instagram models who hits her head at SoulCycle and wakes up thinking she's the most beautiful of them all. Controversy flew around the premise itself: Schumer, a white, blonde, curvaceous actress certainly isn't ugly -- what does it say to women who look like her (or larger) to present her as so?
Schumer had a different take.
"There are those who said my character shouldn't feel insecure about her size," she wrote in a Bustle piece, "If You Judged My Movie 'I Feel Pretty' Without Seeing It, Here's What You're Missing." "But it's not anyone's place to tell someone whether or not they have a right to feel bad about themselves. People just projected hard, and I understand why -- it's fucking hard to be a chick. We've all had so much pain and emotion attached to the portrayal of body image on-screen that people are ready to get mad."
But not everyone is that mad. Here some reactions from people who loved the film, and are willing to go to bat for it.
\u201cI want every woman I know to go see I Feel Pretty. I left feeling empowered, encouraged, and proud to be a woman. Thank you @amyschumer. Loved it so much!!! #IFeelPretty #AmySchumer\u201d— Sarah Geer (@Sarah Geer) 1524272802
\u201cMy thoughts on #IFeelPretty will be up tomorrow, but I will say I've never seen so many people assume a movie is about literally the opposite of what it's about.\u201d— Linda Holmes thisislindaholmes.com (@Linda Holmes thisislindaholmes.com) 1524082532
\u201cJust left #IFeelPretty and laughed from start to finish... (AND my boyfriend cried.) It is an IMPORTANT and funny and thoughtful comedy starring one of the realest, boldest babes in Hollywood. Congratulations @amyschumer!! You were brilliant and I love you xx @IFeelPretty\u201d— catt sadler (@catt sadler) 1524028988
\u201cPlease no one burst this bubble of confidence I\u2019m riding after seeing #IFeelPretty.\u201d— Benjamin VanHoose (@Benjamin VanHoose) 1524273225
There were the takes on body image:
\u201cIf you're getting offended by #IFeelPretty because Amy Schumer isn't "fat enough" to be playing a role about an insecure woman, you're part of the problem.\u201d— mothman in fishnets (@mothman in fishnets) 1524191337
\u201cSo... y'all busy hating on #IFeelPretty realise that it's not about Amy Schumer's character seeing herself as thin, but instead falling absolutely in love with who she IS? Her head injury has her shed the insecurities she normally deals with and see her true beauty instead.\u201d— Casey E. Palmer (@Casey E. Palmer) 1524234139
\u201c@Lunar_Lena I would see it before slamming. The Ads make it look TERRIBLE. But you can\u2019t sum up a concept of self-love in a catchy movie trailer in Hollywood. I thought it was a lovely depiction of the dangers of how we view ourselves and the power of when we discover true self love.\u201d— name (@name) 1524327344
\u201c#ifeelpretty is a great movie and challenges beauty norms! @amyschumer relationship with her looks and confidence is transformed and opens new doors of opportunities for her. fyi - we never see what she sees when she looks in the mirror.\u201d— \ud835\udc07 \ud835\udc04 \ud835\udc0b \ud835\udc04 \ud835\udc0d (@\ud835\udc07 \ud835\udc04 \ud835\udc0b \ud835\udc04 \ud835\udc0d) 1524580194
\u201cSaw #Ifeelpretty with my mom. We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. And then we got pizza and salad. The end.\u201d— _Hermette_ (@_Hermette_) 1524282964
\u201c#IFeelPretty is such a great film. Never seen a movie that makes the torturous beauty standards the focus where viewers leave feeling empowered. I hope @amyschumer has just started a new genre.\u201d— Lindsay (@Lindsay) 1524538884
Even some love for Michelle Williams' comedy chops.
\u201cMy big takeaway from #IFeelPretty is that we've only begun to see what Michelle Williams is capable of as a comedian & I hope there are some seriously weird roles in her near future\u201d— Jarett Wieselman (@Jarett Wieselman) 1524419562
\u201c#IFeelPretty deserves better than the middling reviews it got. Amy Schumer sells the hell out of the premise, even when the script lags. Michelle Williams is completely bonkers and amazing. Tom Hopper\u2019s veiny biceps deserve their own award. And it\u2019s fun! Hope more see it.\u201d— Nigel Smith (@Nigel Smith) 1524437907
\u201cWell dang, I\u2019m absolutely pleasantly surprised with #IFeelPretty. It doesn\u2019t deserve the backlash it\u2019s gotten cuz of its marketing. Schumer puts in a great performance, but White Michelle Williams stole the show as an airy CEO. Confidence IS attractive\u201d— tony (@tony) 1524429285
At least we can all agree on Michelle, right?
