I Feel Sh%^&y: A Review of Amy Schumer’s ‘I Feel Pretty’
Amy Schumer’s latest movie, I Feel Pretty, is here to inspire us all to love our bodies the way they are, while somehow negating the body positivity movement, #effyourbeautystandards, and kick-ass women like Ashley Graham serving trolls with brutal comebacks on the regular.
Schumer (Trainwreck) plays Renee, an employee at a beauty company, insecure about her appearance, and lacking in male attention. Following a painful looking accident involving a spin bike, Renee wakes up to believe she is incredibly beautiful, capable, confident, and thin. Because in the world of I Feel Pretty, you’re no-one unless you’re skinny.
Basically, if Schumer’s latest is meant to inspire us all to believe in ourselves, even when we’re utter garbage, it totally misses the mark, and here’s why:
Schumer isn’t fat, ugly, or unsuccessful.
The point of this movie is, presumably, no matter who you are or what you look like, unless you have confidence in yourself, you’re missing out on everything life has to offer. But the continued disparaging comments about Schumer’s appearance, a woman who is neither overweight nor conventionally unattractive, only serve to remind the audience that they’re the biggest pieces of shit in this scenario.
Because if a woman who looks like Schumer is mistreated by just about everyone she meets, what hope is there for a Jessica Simpson t-shirt wearing, maxed out my BMI five years ago, concealer melting into my eye sockets daily, failure like me?
The male love interest.
Ethan, a man who attends Zumba classes because he feels uncomfortable exercising next to macho men at the gym, is a throwback to a world without the Time’s Up movement. Stories in which he laments the fact that his high school crush still won’t date him are meant to endear us to his “sweet harmless guy” persona. But it’s impossible to overlook his entitled attitude, and the presumption that he’s the nice guy that women should fuck, but don’t because WOMEN ARE CLEARLY THE PROBLEM.
That Schumer, or anyone, is meant to be wowed by this guy’s schtick is offensive to every romantic comedy fan, who at least deserves a Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail level creeper, who has the decency to reveal his copious issues with women in an internet chat room.
The presumption that only so-called skinny people exercise
The biggest piece of bullshit this movie has to offer is the idea that only women of a certain size exercise. Sure, SoulCycle classes are an elite world I’ve yet to experience, but Schumer’s awkward interactions with gym staff and fellow participants perpetuate a stereotype that is dated and dangerous, and needs to stop. I go to the gym in my Saw t-shirt and oversized slacks, and so should you if you want.
Regular women are good for one thing: beauty campaigns
Anyone who’s sat through a Dove commercial or two knows that “regular women” help to sell a multitude of products. But as I Feel Pretty makes clear, so-called normals are only useful when you need to sell a cheaper line of products. While the movie’s sentiment isn’t wrong per se, it neglects to explore the cynical marketing ploy it effuses. Because why explore an important issue when you can merely use it for your own financial gain?
The ‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion that never was
Starring Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) and Busy Philipps (Made of Honor), this movie should’ve filled my Team Dawson heart with joy. Co-written by Philipps’s husband, and the screenwriter of He’s Just Not Into You, the Creek-magic we all deserved was sadly lacking, and that just sucks!
