Amy Schumer Embraces Body Positivity

When She Got Emotional About the Struggle of Finding Flattering Clothes

In 2015, Amy teamed up with Goodwill of Southern California to help women find their style and spread awareness about the unrealistic standards of Hollywood.

Amy got extremely emotional while talking about the program and her own battles with finding clothes she feels good in while on the Today show, saying: "It's been a struggle for me my whole life, and especially just being in the entertainment industry. Standing on a stage in front of people, I can't perform my best or be confident if I'm not sure — if I'm pulling at something [I'm wearing]. And sometimes I would just want to throw in the towel and be like, 'I'm not gonna go do stand-up tonight.'"

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When She Publicly Denounced Being Labeled "Plus-Size"

After Glamour included Amy in their "plus-size" issue, she went public with her displeasure and with the "unnecessary" label reserved for women. "I think it's unfortunate that we still live in a time and a country where 'normal' isn't good enough. The media body-shames women of healthy, normal sizes," Schumer explained in an interview with her friend Lena Dunham in her Lenny newsletter. "That's why I spoke up about the plus-size thing. Because plus-size, unfortunately, still does have a negative connotation."

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When She Revealed Her Weight While Accepting an Award Like It Was NBD

Image Source: Getty / Jeff Spicer

While accepting an award during Glamour UK's 2015 Woman of the Year ceremony, Amy told a funny story about a college hook-up that ended up taking a hit on her self-esteem. She explained, "I'm not going to apologize for who I am and I'm going to actually love the skin that I'm in. I'm not gonna be striving for some other version of myself."

And if that weren't heartfelt and emotional enough, Amy went on to say, "I'm probably like 160 pounds right now and I can catch a dick whenever I want. Like, that's the truth. It's not a problem." And definitely not a problem for us that she was willing to reveal her weight and make all of us feel like we could do the same if the topic is ever brought up.

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When She Eloquently Explained Why You Should Love Your Cellulite

In an interview for Glamour with her sister Kim Caramele, Amy did not hold back on the unfair differences between men and women when it comes to dating and physical appearance. "If a guy was like, 'I can get pussy whenever I want,' that guy would be a dickhead," she said. "But to deny that there's a major difference is ridiculous. For women, we're taught to eat less until we disappear. And trained to believe that if you don't look like everyone else, then you're unlovable. And men are not trained that way," she explained.

"Men can look like whatever and still date a supermodel. I'm proud of what I said. I think it's good to see somebody saying: I have a belly. And I have cellulite. And I still deserve love." (See more of our favorite Refreshingly Honest Celebrity Body Confessions.)

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When She Made It Clear She's Not Losing Weight for a Role (Again)

Image Source: Getty / Luis Ascui

Amy was told to lose weight before she started filming her hit movie Trainwreck and she listened — something she says she will never do again as she learned her lesson from the experience. "It was explained to me before I did [Trainwreck] that if you weigh over 140 pounds as a woman in Hollywood, if you're on the screen, it will hurt people's eyes. So I lost some weight to do that, but never again," she said in a radio interview.

In fact, when the film came out, Amy had a whole different perspective, explaining to reporters at a press conference, "It's very therapeutic for me to be like, 'Yes, I'm not going to look like a malnourished bird,' and I like speaking to that, as well as speaking to my work and what I'm doing."

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When She Posed In Only Undies and Heels

Amy posed on a stool with nothing but her coffee cup, underwear, and heels for the 2016 Pirelli calendar shoot (shot by the famed Annie Leibovitz) and was nothing but honest about the experience. She captioned her photo on Instagram, "Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you Annie Leibovitz!" She also said of the shoot, "I felt I looked more beautiful than I've ever felt in my life, and I felt like it looked like me!" (See more of our favorite body-positive celebs who have bared (almost) all.)

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When She Used Her Looks as a Punchline to Make a Powerful Point

Amy used her acclaimed TV show Inside Amy Schumer to drive home the point that it's not okay the way Hollywood bases a woman's worth on her looks with her poignant sketch, "12 Angry Men." The skit is a parody of Reginald Rose's classic play where jurors argue over whether Amy is attractive enough to have her own television show.

She told GQ of the experience, "It was empowering, to put all those insults about myself out there. I love being in my own skin, and I hope other women start feeling better about themselves and waste less energy being ashamed of their bodies."

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When She Clapped Back at Haters Who Mocked Her in a Bathing Suit

When trolls infiltrated Amy's social media to express their displeasure with the way she looks, Amy had no issue clapping back — and hard. She posted a picture of herself in a bathing suit with these harsh yet poignant words for them: "I meant to write 'good morning trolls!' I hope you find some joy in your lives today in a human interaction and not just in writing unkind things to a stranger you've never met who triggers something in you that makes you feel powerless and alone. This is how I look. I feel happy. I think I look strong and healthy and also like Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. Kisses!" (Don't you just love it when celebs speak out about their haters? We do!)

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