Fat shaming is, unfortunately, a major part of today’s society. Many women feel like their bodies will never be good enough. It’s a serious problem that’s affecting the way young girls perceive themselves, leading to eating disorders, mental health problems, and other societal issues. Amy Schumer is among many celebrities choosing to stand up to the problem.
Schumer’s public outrage at fat shaming began when her name was mentioned as a potential cast member for an upcoming Barbie movie. The character in question is a girl kicked out of Barbieland because she wasn’t good enough in her current physical state. Critics took this opportunity to attack her for her dress size.
But Schumer wouldn’t have it. She openly resisted their comments, posting to Instagram with a picture of herself in a swimsuit. She explained that fat shaming is not something that should go unanswered for, and that she is confident in herself and her appearance. Always the comedian, there was a sarcastic bite to her words.
“Very very honored to be nominated for 2 Grammys and to be considered to play an important and evolving icon. Is it fat shaming if you know you’re not fat and have zero shame in your game? I don’t think so,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am strong and proud of how I live my life and say what I mean and fight for what I believe in and I have a blast doing it with the people I love. Where’s the shame?”
After receiving overwhelming support for her words against body-shaming, she posted another powerful message later on, discussing the need for change and her support in any efforts to stop body shaming and bullying. Read her post below:
“Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support and again my deepest sympathy goes out to the trolls who are in more pain than we will ever understand. I want to thank them for making it so evident that I am a great choice. It’s that kind of response that let’s you know something’s wrong with our culture and we all need to work together to change it. Anyone who has ever been bullied or felt bad about yourself I am out there fighting for you, for us. And I want you to fight for yourself too! We need to laugh at the haters and sympathize with them.”
This is not the first time that Schumer has stood up to body shaming, and it will likely be far from the last. When she was featured in Glamour magazine under the caption “Chic at Any Size,” she told the press, “I felt I looked more beautiful than I’ve ever felt in my life, and I felt like it looked like me.”
To Schumer, her size is not what defines her, and she hopes that her message will reach young girls struggling with the concept of fat shaming. Unfortunately, this is a real problem for teenage girls who are regularly called fat and ugly. They’re the subjects of bullying, sexual harassment, and cyber bullying.
The truth is, everyone has some amount of fat. In fact, both women and men have a natural structure of cellulite, particularly in their arms and legs. According to an article from Lipotherapeia, women tend to have pre-cellulite.
“All women have a “pre-cellulite” fibrous structure on the superficial connective tissue found within their hypodermis itself (lower part of the skin) and under the hypodermis,” says the article. “In the absence of enough amounts of fat, water retention, or both, this structure is either not visible with a pinch test, or barely visible. That’s pre-cellulite: cellulite structure, just about visible with a pinch test. This is natural and normal.”
Basically, cellulite is a normal part of everyone’s anatomy. Even though cellulite and fat are a normal part of human anatomy, it’s not seen that way.
For those who are still struggling with fat shaming, Schumer has a powerful message that’s all about accepting yourself.
“When I look in the mirror I know who I am. I’m a great friend, sister, daughter and girlfriend. I’m a bad-ass comic headlining arenas all over the world and making TV and movies and writing books where I lay it all out there and I’m fearless like you can be,” read the rest of her Instagram comment.
“Anyone who has ever been bullied or felt bad about yourself I am out there fighting for you, for us. And I want you to fight for yourself too! We need to laugh at the haters and sympathize with them. They can scream as loud as they want. We can’t hear them because we are getting s— done. I am proud to lead by example.”
