Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Amy Schumer Trumpets Self-Esteem Over Size In ‘I Feel Pretty’

Comedian Amy Schumer has made a name for herself with her sharp wit and self-deprecating observations about romance, drinking and sex.

But Schumer, 33, says people have got the wrong idea about her new romantic comedy “I Feel Pretty,” about a woman who suffers from low self-esteem until she bangs her head and believes she has become a supermodel.

An early trailer for the film, which opens in U.S. movie theaters on Friday, was heavily criticized on social media for appearing to fat-shame women whose bodies do not conform to fashionably slim and toned ideals.

Schumer, however, says the message of the film is female empowerment and self confidence, whatever one’s size or looks.

“I think that we were real careful with staying on message, which was that it’s not about how anybody else sees you. It’s about how you see yourself and who you are,” Schumer told Reuters Television.

“There was this kind of strange backlash at the trailer and it just made me excited for those people to see the movie and realize that that’s not what we’re doing,” she added.—Reuters

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $325,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.