Amy Schumer: She Makes Us Stand Up and Cheer
Witty, intelligent and provocative
The woman of the moment, or the year (and hopefully the decade), is Amy Schumer. It seems that everyone wants to be her, or to be her best friend. Her down-to-earth, smart humor appeals to everyone who appreciates a wicked wit on pertinent topics.
The sketch comedy series “Inside Amy Schumer” began airing on Comedy Central in 2013, but
her popularity didn’t rocket to stardom among mainstream audiences until this year. With her new film, “Trainwreck”, she’s truly everywhere. This month, her face is on the cover of GQ magazine, and as the accompanying article reports, “One of Amy Schumer’s many comedic gifts is the way she has turned oversharing into a majestic art.”
Amy Schumer resonates with so many women because she's brutally and hilariously honest about what we're really going through
It’s that oversharing that has made Schumer a household name in a very short timespan. Her comedy skits cover the important topics in the news, from how women are marginalized in Hollywood as soon as they hit the age of 40 (or before), to how women constantly apologize and say “I’m sorry.”
Schumer is outspoken, a feminist and uses comedy to highlight serious issues. Plus, she’s incredibly funny and provocative and yet utterly non-threatening. She’s pretty without being over-the-top glam, and she’s not so offbeat that we can’t relate. She’s exactly the woman you want to be your best friend.
Why we love her
In LadyLUX’s own “woman on the street” type interiew that Schumer has so much fun with on her show, we asked our own readers why they love Schumer.
“For a long time, audiences have seen comedy as an escape - for a chance to sit back and laugh, many times at innocuous subjects. Nowadays – with implementations of programs like ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘Inside Amy Schumer,’ and with stand-up comedians who are out there not just to make people laugh, but to make them think. There is a certain reliance that fans have of comics to take issues that are going on with the world and to help it all make sense,” said Mollie Sperduto, a comedian with Ginger Ninja Productions.
Schumer is extremely insightful and has that certain talent that is starting to become expected of today's comedians…
“Schumer is extremely insightful and has that certain talent that is starting to become expected of today's comedians - which is not only to be funny, but to take complex issues and interpret them in a way that unmasks their utter absurdity,” Sperduto added.
Morgan Walker, a PR professional from Long Island, NY, said, “She's really pretty, but not intimidatingly gorgeous, she's got a great body, but not unobtainable for the typical woman, and if she was to poke fun at your hair, outfit or choice of hook-up, you would honestly laugh along with her because she's probably bringing your own self-consciousness to the surface and making you realize ... a bad hair day or slight muffin top over your jeans, or having one too many shots of Fireball and making out with a Seth Rogan look-alike circa early 2000's is really not that big of a deal, so screw it and enjoy the laughable moment. Amy Schumer really brings to life the saying, ‘Life is too short to be serious all the time. So if you can't laugh at yourself, call me … I'll laugh with you.’”
And another perspective: “The reason she has become so popular is because she brings light to common feminist issues. Instead of taking matters so seriously, it's through her hilarious comedy that she makes more of an impact. I especially love her skit on birth control and on women saying ‘sorry’ to often. All women love Amy Schumer because we can all relate. Men think she's funny, too. My fiancé is the one who introduced me to her stuff. I think that's a good sign I'm marrying the right man,” said Diana Rostkowski.
Stefanie O’Connell, founder of thebrokeandbeautifullife.com, said, “It's hard to talk openly about women's issues without being attacked or judged. Making those statements through comedy however, gets the message across in an approachable and more acceptable way. Amy Schumer is rocking it because she's putting it all out there in a way that makes people pay attention and stay engaged.”
O’Connell added, “I'm a liberal, feminist and even I don't feel empowered enough to make the kinds of statements I think need to be heard. There's just so much risk professionally and personally and that sucks. It's awesome to see someone like Amy using her platform to promote these messages for the rest of us and hopefully change the perception enough that we're all able and empowered enough to talk more openly and honestly about the issues.”
“Amy Schumer resonates with so many women because she's brutally and hilariously honest about what we're really going through, thinking and feeling. She's not afraid to show parts of herself that are unflattering or embarrassing, and we love her for that because it lets us know we're not the only weirdos out there and it's OK to be imperfect,” said Kelly Gurnett.
“I want Amy Schumer to be my BFF because she is everything I am but cannot show the world. When I first watched her stand-up I thought to myself ‘damn, this woman totally gets what it's like to be us and she isn't afraid to say it.’ Amy Schumer is so refreshing because she is unapologetically herself. She proclaims that she has a normal, healthy body and she can still snag a man. I totally worship at the Amy Schumer lady chapel,” said Katlin MacHugh, a licensed social worker.
