GQ finally released the cover interview with Amy Schumer! This is the editorial where Schumer is getting raunchy with Star Wars characters. As it turned out, GQ did not get Disney’s permission for the shoot, which isn’t a huge deal because most people believe the shoot would be “protected speech” because it’s clearly a parody. Still, the Star Wars Twitter account tweeted out this statement: “Lucasfilm & Disney did not authorize, participate in or condone the inappropriate use of our characters in this manner.” So there you go. As for Schumer’s interview, she comes across well in this piece and I found myself nodding in agreement with some of the points she makes (especially the line about “stealing oxygen” from the men) and with how she’s expecting a major backlash any day now (I think it’s already here). You can read the full GQ piece here. Some highlights:
How she defines her comedy: “Providing a voice for women that was palatable for men also. An honest, unapologetic human voice. I was, ‘I’m not going to shy away from doing it, I’m going to say the stuff that makes me unappealing.’ I chose to do that.”
She told a raunchy, horrifying story at a party: “It was a bachelorette party. I didn’t like how fake those women were—I just can’t stand that. That pretend existence. It bugs me. The girl whose party it was was mad at me, and the other women were really uncomfortable. Like, no one laughed. It’s fun to just keep being yourself when the room’s demanding otherwise. I’m putting my dirty laundry out there, and I don’t want to be around people who pretend they don’t have any.
The ticking time bomb: “I truly feel I’m getting a lot of attention right now and it’s just a ticking time bomb. Like, I wonder what the thing is going to be that will make people want to burn me at the stake. There’s no way to control it. I think it will be really arbitrary and a misunderstanding. But yeah, I’m really enjoying the love right now. I think I’ve got another couple months.”
She’s ready to be torn down: “That’s how it is. Because I’m not going to shut up. And I think people only want women to speak for so long. They build you up, and then they’re just ready to tear you down. Like Hillary—when it’s really go time for her, I’ll definitely be active, and that’ll make people hate me. I know inevitably I’ll get more political, just as an adult with changing interests, which is good—no one wants to hear me talk about who I f–ked or whatever for another twenty years. And I hope I’m wrong, but I just think there’s this “Don’t disappoint me in any way.” If you say one joke that offends, it feels like, “Oh, wait, I thought you were my everything, and now you’re dead to me.”
People are only prepared to listen to women for so long: “I think it’s that bad. I’ve opened for male comics for years and see the difference in the treatment. It’s the expectation of how a woman is going to be, or should be: Be sweet and likable and apologize for stealing oxygen from the world. Just be a pleasure and service whatever the experience is. And it’s “What a c–t—did you just hear her ask for that thing she’s supposed to have?” All I’ve ever wanted is to be treated like a comedian who’s performing at your venue, who sold it out. Just talk to me how you would talk to Bill Burr, who was here the week before me. Like Patton Oswalt, who’ll be here next week.
It sucks to be a woman: “Yeah. It f–king sucks. It’s exhausting. I’m very annoyed by all the physical stuff—the heels, the makeup, outfits, versus my male counterparts who are rolling out of bed. Women are accomplishing more and more, and men are plateauing, so there are these insane expectations of how you’ll be. You really are kind of encouraged to accomplish everything, and then you get to realize, “But not too much—make everybody comfortable.”
I think she’s dead right about a lot of things. I’ve said this a lot – it’s like people are genuinely angry when a woman in the public sphere dares to NOT be all things to all people. It upsets people when a woman doesn’t give a crap about her image, or how she’s perceived or whether she’s coming across like a boss, etc.
Agree or disagree: “Women are accomplishing more and more, and men are plateauing.” I can’t decide. I think there’s room for men and women to accomplish more and more but in the real world, it does feel like men have really lowered expectations to rock-bottom at this point.
Photos courtesy of GQ, WENN.
I know I’ve probably been living under a rock, but I just learned she is Colin Quinn’s daughter? That fits. I like her. She’s like a far less annoying Lena Dunham. They say some of the same things, both from a perspective of privilege, but Amy comes across as more likable. Again though to her point – men wouldn’t care about being likable.
She is not Colin Quinn’s daughter. But they are friends and he is on her show frequently.
That is only in the movie Sarah. Her father was a businessman who went bankrupt when she was a child.
And that’s the point. Men don’t NEED to be likable. Their accomplishments will be accepted and they will be given credit for their work even if they aren’t terribly likable. Women, however, need to be likable because without that, every conversation is just “she’s a bitch” or “she’s ugly/fat/whatever” and that’s where it ends.
that is an interesting point, and I really agree. However, while Men may not need to be likable, honestly, I think likability will take someone further. For example, while I respect Bill Mar’s religious opinions, I despise his personality and won’t watch or listen to him. On the other hand I love Jon Stewart though and worship everything he says, even if I probably shouldn’t.
she’s not Colin Quinn’s daughter…………
Ehhh yeah she’s Colin Quinn’s daughter in the movie “Trainwreck” but not in real life.
What? She is not Colin Quinn’s daughter.
Men certainly do notice the fact that Amy Schumer is more attractive and Lena Dunham. Despite Schumer’s whole shtick about being “heavy” for a Hollywood actress, her body type is appealing for many if not most men, and she has a pleasing enough face. A good 3/4 of Lena Dunham’s act is that she’s overweight and ugly, and she pretty much is, and not just by Hollywood standards. Schumer is only “overweight” and “unattractive” in Hollywood; in real life she’d be considered neither, which is why I find it a bit overly precious that she’s always going on about it in interviews. In that way, Schumer’s like most comedians who have made it of both genders; kind of attractive, but not so attractive as to distract from the funny. To make a sexist generalization, I think women notice Schumer’s less annoying personality and like her more than Dunham for it, and men notice that Schumer’s more attractive than Dunham and thus have a higher tolerance for Schumer. Or maybe it’s low-key attractiveness bias for both sexes, real talk.
She’s not Quinn’s daughter. She *is* Chuck Schumer’s niece. In fact, being related to him helped her skate out of larceny and shoplifting charges when she was younger.
Used to really like her but have had it with the PR overkill.
She cares too much about what she thinks other people think. It must be exhausting. I know I get exhausted just listening to her. Maybe that’s why she thinks people think she speaks for too long.
does she though? she’s asked about people’s perception of her, what is she supposed to say? i actually don’t think she’d do better if she’d say “oh i don’t care what others think!”. to be open to growth you must a care a little what others say, not too much that it destroys your confidence, but being completely uninterested in criticism doesn’t do artists much good either.
@Mispronounced Name Dropper
You’re right. She does
If you do your act in jeans and flats, what does it matter? She wants to be the hot funny blonde character, so why bitch about it? I’ve seen her stand-up, think most of her stuff is funny and hope she does well but continually playing the victim card gets old fast.
Yeah, I googled her pics, scrolled down and down and didn’t find one where she’s in flats. I find all the stuff women are supposed to wear exhausting too… so I dgaf and wear sneakers and jeans.
So agree…she wears me out.
I think the critique she’s received on racism was well-deserved, but I don’t think that a male comedian would get the same intensity of criticism so early into their first big moment. Took Chris Pratt much longer for a backlash, and even with him, his backlash hasn’t been nearly as buzzy as hers. Nevertheless I like her, planning on seeing Trainwreck this weekend, and she makes a lot of good points here. Also, she’s a MUCH bigger deal than Bill Burr or Patton Oswalt. Venue people should be kissing her ass like she’s Louis CK right now – she’s about on his level. Above it, in some ways – Louis CK can’t open a movie.
I agree with what she said about telling a joke that offends and people turn against her. It’s the same with a lot of celebs. People can like or admire a celebrity but if that celeb says or do something some people don’t approve of that admiration changes quickly.
I think that’s a normal response though, as long as the offending celebrity/person did something worthy of disdain or criticism. Not something dumb like get a haircut or something. I think in the case of celebs their whole livelihood is selling an image, and if you do something that breaks that your fans who have been buying your product will rightfully get upset. (As everyone does when something they bought does not live up to expectations.)
Like when Kerry Russell cut her hair after Felicity ended? Everyone, and I mean everyone everywhere discussed it, turned on her, and called it a career killer. It was a freaking haircut.
Nope. Trevor Noah got a lot of backlash that went on for months. Amy Schumer got a pass which I thought was laughable.
i like her.
Me too. Her show is the best!
It’s official….. I cannot stand this chick!!!! There’s something about her that rubs me the wrong way. It’s time for her to STFU and go away!!!!!
So reverse psychology doesn’t work on you either? Kudos to you.
I’m right there with you…and, at first, I actually liked her.
I used to really like her but this two month+ publicity push has been ridiculous. She needs to go away for a while (and yes, I got equally sick of Chris Pratt – there is PR overkill and both of them hit it this year).
Agreeing with you and all those who commented after you.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies but I have to agree with everything she said, at the end of the day there’s never too much or too little a woman does that doesn’t get dissected or has to be measured against something or someone else’s expectations. It seems like we (women) will get to catch some slack like men do
I think she is totally right, especially about
I see what you did there.
😉
I agree with a lot of it. It takes a lot of effort to be an “acceptable woman” while men can put in a fraction of that effort and are lauded for it. Sadly, in our society women are supposed to be decorative, accommodating, gracious and quiet. Yet we’re somehow supposed to accomplish just as much as our male counterparts despite being hampered with an arbitrary set of rules they don’t have to follow, or indeed even acknowledge.
If it’s any consolation I put in little effort and I’m not lauded for it.
I listened to both her interviews on Stern and loved her. She’s hilarious and seems truly grateful for her rise. I made a point of going to Trainwrecked ( rarely go to the theater anymore) and I’m glad I did. Numerous lol moments!,
gotta love a woman who is not afraid to make you feel uncomfortable. I hope Trainwreck does well so we can see more of her in the future.
Obviously it’s a generalization, but her statement about women growing and men plateauing resonates with me. Like, the schlubby lovable loser everyman gets the super hot chick. There’s more room for men to be complicated, fail, and get back up than for women.
I really like her. I don’t like everything she says but I am definitely in her corner.
Disney/Lucasfilm was pissed but Mark Hamill put out a cute tweet supporting her. Yah Luke!!
While I agree with a lot of what she says, there are two things that make me utterly dislike her:
1. If you want feminist creed and take this stance, please act on it all the way through. Don’t go on the RC dressed in that bondage black leather f*ck me dress – because what is that but a cry for attention – “Look at how sexy I can be in addition to funny”.
2. There is a time and place for raunchy – and ruining someone else’s bridal shower with YOUR tale of raunchy horrific whatever is inappropriate – not because we want to deny you your sexuality – hey, your life, go to it – but because there is such a thing (still) called manners and behaving appropriately for the occasion. If you must air your private lingerie in public – include it in your show if you want, but why ruin another person’s special day? And then feeling like somehow you were done wrong because people didn’t fall over themselves laughing? Well that should tell – it was not funny!
I see the GQ photo shoot in a very poor light because of this – it is an effort to capitalize on new found fame through shock value and I don’t care who would try this – man or woman of whatever age, race or religion, sexual orientation or background – as in very bad taste. If all you find to be provocative and edgy is a porn parody of a beloved artistic endeavour, then you lack class and/or talent.
Feminists can’t wear f*ck me dresses? I’ll have to return mine….
Bugger, I’m going to have to return my f*ck you dress.
Seriously you guys, are you misunderstanding me on purpose? Here is a comedian who makes a big fuss about being taken seriously no matter how she looks… how hard it is to be in her business despite her looks .. blah blah looks…how much easier men have it despite being able to roll out of bed looking like crap while women have to (HAVE to) put so much effort into how they look… then she goes around and what does she do? Dresses like every other famewh*re starlet out there who is only capitalizing on her looks. That is my issue with her.
You want to wear the leather dress? Hell, go to it!! But don’t whine at the same time about how the patriarchy forces you to play the looks card. That is not fair.
Feminists totally can and do wear fcuk me dresses. But sometimes, just sometimes she sould also wear a fcuk you dress. Like, I just rolled out of bed dress. Alas, literally all her pics I found show her wearing a mini and high heels…
Vauvert, u are hillarious in your complete ignorance of the fact that your comments are precisely the stuff Amy is talking aboutz 😅😅😅
Yep because that’s what feminism is all about, women not wearing what they want. This is exactly what she meant by people wanting women to go far!….but not too far. Ugh.
Feminism and wanting and enjoying sex with men are not mutually exclusive. Trust me, I know 😉
I don’t know what made her ruin a bridal shower, but I’m compelled to ruin this thread by relating that particular horrific story: Amy told how she let a taxi driver fingerbang her.
I’m defo classless.
I also thought that story about the bachelorette party was in extremely poor taste. If it’s bothering you so much that people were being fake, excuse yourself and leave! Her inability to take responsibility for that spoke volumes to me.
I agree. She should be free to dress however she wants, but she keeps making it clear that she doesn’t like dolling herself up and says she shouldn’t need to. So I don’t get why she doesn’t want to try to be more groundbreaking in setting an example of a woman who can succeed without drawing so much focus to her body/looks. If she does enjoy making an effort to look sexy and such, by all means, but she says she doesn’t, so…
I’m reading it wrong then, because I don’t see where she says she doesn’t like to doll up – just that it’s exhausting. If women are expected to do that every day, let’s face it, it’s a drag and a waste on our mental resources and time. If women are expected to dress plainly or soberly just to be taken seriously, like the poster suggested, that’s another form of unnecessary normative behavior applied to women. (And why oh why do women themselves create these expectations? Garner dresses housewifey and starlets dress like sluts… you read this every day.)
IDK, seems strange to say you’re categorically “very annoyed” by something you enjoy doing. I don’t think women should need to dress somberly to be taken seriously, but it helps to somewhat exemplify the message you’re trying to get across when you are in a position to do so. Maybe she just means to say she’s annoyed by the double standard, though.
I don’t care if feminists wear eff me dresses (equality means wearing whatever the hell you want and not worrying about ‘looking the part’ of a feminist), but I do have a problem with chicks with thick legs and fat knees wearing minis, and women who look like Shrek trying to look sexy…it just doesn’t work. It’s as awkward as Taylor Swift trying to rock that ridiculous leather harness thing she was sporting a few weeks ago. Laughable.
I can assure you there’s nothing uglier than a troll, though.
I like Amy more and more. And she’s right – it is freakin’ hard to be a woman, especially as you advance in your career. I didn’t find too much sexism when I was younger but the more successful I become the more I find myself fighting a very resistant old boy’s club. Sounds like Amy may be finding the same thing as a comedian.
I’d never seen any of her stuff until just this week and eh? I don’t get why she’s so popular. I don’t think she’s particularly incisive about feminist issues and a lot of her jokes are very broad and not really all that clever. As for the bit about feeling pressured to wear heels and so forth–then don’t wear them! Ellen Degeneres never tried to be the hot chick and still became a huge success. Give me Tina Fey, Amy Poehler or Mindy Kahling any day over Schumer.
+1
Me, too. The more Amy Schumer speaks, the less I like her, whereas it’s the opposite with Amy Poehler, Tina and Mindy who don’t pretend to be the voice of all women.
As for her brand of so-called feminism, she certainly doesn’t speak for those my age, most of us who *really* don’t care what people think. Her whole schtick (about women and weight, whether to wear heels for men and having lots of sex like them – or not) isn’t what feminism is about to most of us, at least those of us living real lives outside of Hollywood.
And I was definitely put off to learn that she committed grand larceny shoplifting in her early 20s? While I’ve certainly done things I’m not proud of, major crimes aren’t among them. No matter that this was in the past, it still says something about her true character as a person, the niece of a senator no less, stealing from other people. Perhaps it’s because as a college-educated professional who was laid-off and relegated to working retail, I dealt with selfish, conniving criminals like her, meanwhile getting paid and surviving on next-to-nothing myself.
If that’s the backlash she was expecting, then so be it. Please, Amy, just stop talking.
Oh wow, i got pumped up just reading these extracts. Amy isn’t perfect and sure, she will make offensive jokes but who wants a robot? She’s human
‘It’s fun to just keep being yourself when the room’s demanding otherwise.’
OH YES!
‘I’m putting my dirty laundry out there, and I don’t want to be around people who pretend they don’t have any.’
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is why i like a lot of ‘controversial’ celebs. Keep your American Sweethearts and Mini-Van majority idols. Give me guys and gals i can relate to!
Trainwreck was super fun. It’s no Bridesmaids (imo) but still one of the best comedies i’ve seen in a while. Happy for Amy’s success
Maybe it isn’t that people pretend they don’t have any dirty laundry, it’s that they realize it’s not appropriate to blurt it all out all the time. She strikes me as one of those boorish types who thinks if they just tell outrageously crass tales about their life people will be forced to love them for being so open and free, and if they don’t it’s all “I have no filter!” “People can’t take how real I am!”. In reality I think it’s a front.
well she has already admitted that a lot of her stand up is a character. – she plays that boorish type to get her points across. In reality, she says she has had way less sex and is much more introverted. I like how on Howard Stern when he asked her about anal sex (Howard is so …) she v clearly said that she wasn’t into it. I feel like porn has made a lot of guys think that anal is a duty that women have to perform and from my experience, and from what my friends tell me, it really isn’t something that women want to do, yet feel pressurised into it. It’s a bit like Louis Tomlinson Barebacking – guys are amazed when girls want to cover it up, and a lot of guys make you feel like a prude if you don’t want it up the ass! I also like how in Trainwreck she was all GTFO to the date with the big penis. She said she has stopped sex herself when her date’s penis is too big. She asks what are women trying to prove by talking about 10″ penises as if it’s the only thing that will give them pleasure..
Real talk!
Well. You know who doesn’t care what you think of her and does what she wants? Hate to say it, but Miley Cyrus DGAF. One person’s attention wh*re is another person’s feminist. Think it’s best not to over analyze, personally.
Glad to hear her making the point about how women always attract backlash, while for guys it never comes so quickly or so hard.
Yeah, and I see some of the backlash here on this thread. I do notice that women really bring out the vitriol in people and sometimes, especially, from other women. I don’t know much about Amy, but I do like some of the stuff she talks about. I can totally relate to the concept of women apologizing for “taking up too much oxygen.” I can’t tell you the number of times when in a conversation with guys that they try to talk over me. Of course, not being a shrinking violet, I just talk right over them. I sometimes wonder if they even realize this is happening, since guys are such competitive creatures by nature.
The oxygen part is so true. I read about an actual study that measured how many words per minute or whatever women vs men speak and it showed that it’s true, men take their time while women try to speak fast so they don’t take up too much space in a discussion. Here’s an interesting quote from Amy Poehler about this https://www.facebook.com/leanincommunity/posts/831293720282274
“They build you up, and then they’re just ready to tear you down. ” – This is definitely true. I guess you can only stay on the rise for so long, but it’s like if someone’s had too much praise, they NEED a sh*tstorm of nasty criticism to bring the universe back to equilibrium.
As for wanting women to shut up, eh… I’m sure this isn’t exactly the context she had in mind, but from the bachlorette party story, and what I’ve seen of her on TV… She kind of seems like the type of person who’d ignore every non-verbal cue that people are annoyed or bored, and just go on and on rather than letting someone else have the word, because she’s just that strong and confident. Sometimes it’s OK to gauge the tone of a situation and modify your behavior accordingly – like at another woman’s bachlorette party. That’s not anti-feminist IMO, just normal politeness. I guess you need a big personality to do well in comedy, though. And she’s definitely good at what she does, at least her skits, I haven’t seen much of her stand-up.
Wow the comments here perfectly illustrate her points.
If you don’t like her comedy, IT’S OKAY. Don’t take it personally that she, like, EXISTS. A lot of people are legitimately exited about her right now (myself included), and she’s promoting a movie, so duh she’s doing press. Don’t read the articles on her. Roll your eyes and say “HER AGAIN” but you don’t. have. to. read. it. And you don’t have to leave angry comments. Save yourself the stress!
And the bachelorette party was probably just a group in the audience at a show. I doubt she, like, crashed someone’s party, stood on a table and launched into a set. lol.
I envy her for being at a place in her career to say what she thinks…about how she has been treated professionally. Just think 40 years ago she might have been an ambitious young female comedian who believed Bill Cosby would help her career. She does not hide the fact that some of the stuff she has seen or feels herself is not painful. And, she seems to also agree that she can be obnoxious at times.
“Women have to work twice as hard to be considered half as good as a man. Fortunately, that is not too difficult” yeah, from a fortune cookie sort of!