Amy Schumer has recently taken center stage in American pop culture. The provocative comedian is viewed as a trailblazing hero in the world of women, but she hasn’t convinced me that she’s worthy of her newfound influence.
Schumer has established herself as a successful humorist and public figure over the past year. Time Magazine listed her among its 100 Most Influential People; Schumer’s movie “Trainwreck”—which she wrote and starred in—grossed more than $30 million in its first week; and her show “Inside Amy Schumer” won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. With this recent success, Schumer has broken free from the confines of Comedy Central and stand-up shows, establishing herself as a public figure as she makes appearances in magazines, TV shows, and award ceremonies.
When Schumer appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Sept. 11, Colbert went so far as to call her a “role model for women everywhere.” As her achievements grow and her audiences broaden, Colbert’s statement becomes more and more accurate. Schumer certainly has something to say to the impressionable women listening.
“I am not who I sleep with. I am not my weight. I am not my mother. I am myself. And I am all of you, and I thank you,” Schumer said at last year’s Gloria Awards.
Schumer’s message of innate self-worth is valuable. But a careful look at her interviews, stand-up routines, and speeches shows that she herself often undermines that message.
At the Gloria Awards, Schumer gave an emotional speech that has since circulated widely on the Internet. Websites and blogs alike praised her authenticity as a real woman and her message about self-worth. In her speech, Schumer told of a one-night stand she briefly confused for something more meaningful. She explained that as she lay alone in his bed—he had passed out on the floor—she realized her self-worth had to come from within herself, and not from anywhere else.
“I never heard from Matt again, but felt only grateful for being introduced to my new self, a girl who got her value from within her,” Schumer said.
Though she speaks of her ability to find self-worth from within, Schumer made several comments that weakened this message throughout the speech.
“I did morning radio last week, and a DJ asked, ‘Have you gained weight? You seem chunkier to me. You should strike while the iron is hot, Amy.’ And [my confidence] is all gone. In an instant, it’s all stripped away,” Schumer said.
Schumer admits to these moments, making herself vulnerable and accessible, but she fails to provide a solution to the inevitable moments of self-doubt and insecurity that women experience.
Schumer contradicted her own ideas about self-worth yet again in her speech at the Glamour Awards in June, where she accepted a title, “Trailblazer of the Year,” previously won by Kristen Wiig.
“I’m like 160 pounds right now and I can catch a [guy] whenever I want. Like, that’s the truth. It’s not a problem,” Schumer said.
With this statement, Schumer declared her self-worth contingent upon her ability to attract men. Although she appears to overcome the social stigma surrounding women and weight by mentioning her own, she actually just swaps one external source of self-confidence for another. In other words, Schumer states that, though she may not be thin like a model, she can at least get someone to sleep with her.
Schumer is at an important moment in her career. Young women follow her through different media platforms, and they are listening to what she has to say. Disappointingly, Schumer fails to provide them with anything consistent. She shifts between advocating for intrinsically grounded self-worth and telling self-deprecating jokes about her own value, founded in anything from men to her weight.
There is no doubt that young women around the world need a role model. I just hope we can find one more worthwhile than Amy Schumer.
