Category: Inspiration

  • A Random Mistook Me For Amy Schumer, And I Liked It

    A Random Mistook Me For Amy Schumer, And I Liked It

    The other day, I was sitting on the bus on my way home from work, when a woman sat down next to me and said, “Do you ever get that you look like Amy Schumer?!” I snickered, “No,” and she goes, “Wow, I literally thought I was sitting next to her!”

    So, of course, I was immediately flattered. And that’s because Amy Schumer’s freaking awesome – not only is she absolutely hilarious, but she’s making epic moves in the body image movement (and is gorg).

    If you’re unfamiliar, earlier this year, Amy did a photo shoot for Glamour Magazine. But to her surprise, when the magazine came out with the issue, she was featured as plus size. Schumer says Glamour did this without her permission, and included her in their special plus size issue in collaboration with Lane Bryant.

    Here’s how Amy responded on Instagram: “I think there’s nothing wrong with being plus size. Beautiful healthy women. Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and 8… @glamourmag put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know and it doesn’t feel right to me. Young girls seeing my body type and thinking that’s plus size? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamorous.”

    Overall, I think she handled it well. She’s standing up for “plus size” women, while also defending her shape. I get it – it’s definitely not cool of Glamour.

    But you know what’s also not cool? The term plus size. Like Ashley Graham says, “I think the term plus size is outdated. It shouldn’t be about labels.” I think you’re damn right, Graham. The labels need to end. And the fact that Amy Schumer was offended is offensive in itself. Size is just a damn size, it doesn’t mean shit.

    I used to get all hung up on the size of clothes I was buying. I was embarrassed and ashamed, and could barely look at the sizes I was pulling off the rack. But then one day recently, I shit you not, I all of a sudden got so proud of my size. Why? Because the clothes I’m buying make me look amazing, beautiful and make me feel good, and it doesn’t matter that they’re not a “small” or “zero.” They’re MY size, no one else’s.

    Amy Schumer defending her size is okay, but she shouldn’t have to. No one should be labeled. But in today’s world, we all are, especially celebrities. Being scrutinized for your weight in the public eye would be nothing close to easy, and she handles it well.

    Unfortunately Amy has struggled with body image before, and this wasn’t her first run in with these kinds of issues. “It’s an emotional thing,” she told TODAY in a recent interview. “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 standup tonight.’”

    It took meeting a stylist, Leesa Evans, on the set of her movie Trainwreck to turn her outlook around. She said before Leesa, she always dressed poorly and didn’t feel nearly as good in her clothes before. And that inspired her to help women find their style, and is why she teamed up with Goodwill of Southern California to educate and inspire women through fashion.

    Ultimately, Schumer says her goal across the board with everything is to “make everybody laugh and feel better.” And that’s where I want to end. I’m damn proud to be told I look like Amy Schumer, because she’s beautiful, empowering and making a point to be proud of her body. Not only that, she’s trying to help women be proud of theirs, and open about her own issues with body insecurity. That’s inspiring in itself.

    So random lady on the bus, thank you. Amy is beautiful, hilarious, and I’ll take your doppelganger comment and run.

    Photo credit: torbakhopper

  • Dwyane Wade on ESPN’s Body Issue

    Dwyane Wade on ESPN’s Body Issue

    Recently, I came across an issue of ESPN Magazine that caught me a little off guard – in a good way. The reason? Dwyane Wade was naked. Yep, naked. I wasn’t aware of ESPN’s ‘Body Issue’ before (even though it’s been around since 2009!), but I’m sure as hell a fan now (and not for the reasons you’d think). First of all, if you haven’t read the article, you should read it.

    In short, Dwyane Wade explains how he’s rejected all of the past offers to be featured in the Body Issue (he was asked for the past seven years to be exact), because he really wasn’t comfortable with his body until very recently. Ever since he was a kid, he’d been self-conscious about his “outie” belly button and has had other body insecurity issues. I know he doesn’t look it, but he’s 34 now—which is why it’s so interesting that this year he agreed to being naked for the issue. And he’s revealing more than his body—he’s talking a lot about his insecurities and body confidence.

    This couldn’t be more relevant now that Dwyane is officially a Chicago Bull as well as a proud native Chicagoan (my hometown team–I’m so excited!). Dwyane sheds light on the important fact that EVERYONE, even guys and even famous people and even professional athletes, have body image issues. I’m so proud of him for admitting this in such an inspiring way. He even says in the article that people would probably be surprised by the fact that he’s insecure because of who he is.

    But the reality, people, is that literally everyone goes through things like this. I don’t care who you are, how thin, how famous, there are going to be times when you are insecure and self-conscious in some way or another (and I hate that so much, but it’s true).

    But here’s the other thing: That’s perfectly okay. Because eventually, like Dwyane Wade, you’ll come to terms with yourself and be confident with your body and feel comfortable showing it naked. Dwyane is now THIRTY-FOUR and he just said he recently got comfortable in his skin, even in front of his wife. That is epic stuff. And not because he’s insecure, I don’t wish that upon anyone, but because he’s being honest and has gone through something the everyday person has.

    I don’t think I’m the only one who has ever thought, “Oh wow, that celebrity [insert hot Victoria’s Secret Model] is so hot, I want to look just like her. She’s perfect.” But in reality, they’re real people too. They have their own insecurities, and it’s important to acknowledge that.

    This also goes back to my huge belief that wishing you were something else, wishing you looked like someone else, wishing you were thinner, etc. will get you absolutely nowhere. What happens when I become as hot as Adriana Lima? I still have the same shit going on in my life, I still have obstacles, and my life won’t just whip itself into perfectness. And that’s why we all have to keep believing that we are perfect the way we are.

    Kudos to you, Dwyane Wade, for opening this issue up to not only men, but professional athletes, celebrities and everyone else out there who is affected by this in some way (I know I am). It shows that we all have things to work on and hardships to get over, and it doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, you still have shit going on.

    With that, I warmly welcome you to Chicago, Dwyane, and am proud to call you one of the Bullie Wullies!

    Photo credit: Keith Allison