4 Great Feminist Moments From Amy Schumer's HBO Special
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Amy Schumer has hilariously addressed sexism and gender inequality in her Comedy Central show "Inside Amy Schumer," so it's no surprise that she does the same thing in her HBO Special "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo," which airs October 17 on HBO.
Schumer, who became emotional divulging her lifelong body image insecurities during a recent interview with TODAY, confronts unrealistic standards of beauty in Hollywood and beyond during her special. She touches on many other issues women all over can relate to. Here are some of the most empowering moments in the segment.
RELATED: Amy Schumer's Response to a Sexist Interview Question Will Make Your Day
1. L.A.'s beauty obsession
Schumer begins her show saying that she's happy to do the special in Harlem because she thinks Los Angeles is a more shallow place.
"I just love New York because it's a town where I can get laid," she says. "I can catch a D here kind of whenevs. I was in LA for a little while and [I] can't there. Just in case you've never been to LA, it is filled with the most beautiful people from all over the world... Everyone is hot there. I saw a guy who was cleaning up a Pizza Hut bathroom. I would have paid this guy to fuck me."
She explains that people in L.A. register her arms as legs and legs as firewood.
"Why is the BFG on Sunset?" she says of the way people think of her.
Schumer, whose sketch "Last Fuckable Day" went viral earlier this year for depicting Hollywood's unfair treatment of women, joins many other actresses who have criticized the industry's unrealistic physical standards for women in the spotlight. Jennifer Lawrence, with whom Schumer is writing a script, has broached this issue many times in the past.
2. The double standard for male and female characters in film
Live at the Apollo/HBO
Schumer also mentions the absurdity of plot elements in 2011 film "Zookeeper," which is about talking animals in a zoo. Schumer reveals that robust actor Kevin James plays a zookeeper who has issues with his girlfriend portrayed by Leslie Bibb and also has the affection of a zoo veterinarian played by Rosario Dawson. Schumer says it's insane that we live in a world in which two women like this fight over James.
"Kevin James is dating a beautiful blond skeleton and he's sad because sometimes she's mean to him. And then the girl who is in love with him, who he doesn't notice, who has been there all along, waiting in the wings, is Rosario Dawson, arguably the most fuckable actress ever. Rosario Dawson is just like working at the zoo, sweeping up koala shit like, 'Please fuck me, Kevin James. Why won't Kevin James give me his dick?' And he's like, ew, you're wearing khakis, never. That movie is about talking animals, there's a beaver and a penguin that are friends and talk about opening up a bed and breakfast, but that's not the most unrealistic part of that movie. [Dawson] should get an Oscar for [pretending to want James]."
3. Hollywood's crazy dietary restrictions and expectations
Live at the Apollo/HBO
During her special, Schumer says that she was surprised when she was cast as the main role in her film "Trainwreck," as she wrote the movie assuming another actress would play the lead. While this was exciting for Schumer, she learned she had to make drastic changes to her diet and undergo an intense exercise regimen to prepare for the film.
"[The executives said to me], 'We just need you to do three things,'" Schumer says. "'One, just be yourself. Two, have fun. And three, stop eating food.' And I was like, 'Wait a minute, I'm sorry, don't people need food to live?' They were like, 'That's a myth!'"
Schumer says that she started seeing a trainer, who asked her to list her daily diet and stopped her once she got to noon.
"Like, he'd heard enough. And then he's like, 'OK, well here's your new diet. So for breakfast, you'll have a smoothie. For lunch, you'll journal about that smoothie. And then put a peanut under your pillow and you hope you dream about pizza'... That's Hollywood's secret. They don't put food in their faces."
4. The double standard between men and women enjoying sex
Live at the Apollo/HBO
Schumer says it's amusing that people call her a "sex comic" for telling stories about sex during some of her sets while male comics aren't viewed that way.
"I get labeled a 'sex comic' just because I'm a woman. You know, I feel like a guy could get up here and literally pull his dick out, and everyone would be, 'He's a thinker!' I think that sex is explained incorrectly to us. They just teach us at a young age that men love sex, and women just deal with it. Right? Like every sitcom, the guy gets home from work, and he's, like, 'Honey, how about tonight? Hmm?' And she's like, 'Bleh! Ugh. You know I hate your dick.'"
