Comedian and actress Amy Schumer recently revealed, via Instagram, that she was feeling great after recovering from surgery to treat her endometriosis. She also super casually dropped in that she'd taken a trip to the plastic surgeon's office for some liposuction, the results of which she happily showed off in a sleek, backless swimsuit. As staunch feminists who actively promote non-fat shaming, body positive messages, we have just one thing to say to Ms. Schumer: Yaaaas, queen!
Now, there are some folks who'd probably be surprised to hear that we are cheering for a celebrity getting plastic surgery, especially one specifically designed to make someone's body smaller. Shouldn't Amy just be embracing her body at whatever size she is? Doesn't plastic surgery promote unrealistic body ideals? Do we have to burn our feminist card? Or do we just hand it in to whomever is doing the gatekeeping on what a good feminist can or can't think this week?
The truth is that we're really happy for Amy! In fact, we'd argue she's actually being a pretty bad-ass feminist herself for being so open about getting lipo.
Amy looks like she feels comfortable in her own skin.
As she shares on Instagram, "Confidence is an ongoing forever negotiation," and it appears she is feeling more confident than ever before. Amy has been open about the fact that she struggles with a painful and sometimes debilitating case of endometriosis. This condition, which can cause significant pain along with a whole host of other symptoms, including bloating and abdominal pain, can leave a lot of women feeling like their body is their enemy.
Given everything her body has been through with not only endometriosis but also with IVF and a complicated delivery with her now 2-year-old son, Amy has been through the ringer. We think anything that she can do that makes her feel good in her body after all of that is a win, full stop. But that's not the only reason we're here for Amy's new look.
We give Amy an A+ for honesty.
Another reason we're celebrating Amy's lipo reveal is that not only does it seem to be a good move for her mental and physical health, but it also is HONEST! So many celebrities go crazy with filters, fillers, plastic surgery, heavy-duty Photoshop and FaceTune (yes, we are talking about you, Khloé "long fingers" Kardashian) and then try to pretend that they woke up like this.
From our perspective, it's way more problematic in terms of body image sanity for celebs not to own up to the fact that they don't look Instagram perfect without some surgical or photo editing help. There's something healthy about remembering that bodies come in all kinds of sizes and that some of those sizes come straight from a plastic surgeon's office.
Amy also shows that a real woman isn't afraid to change her mind.
Back in 2014, Amy stated in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine that she was pretty skeptical about plastic surgery, calling it "an industry that preys on insecurities and quick fixes" and saying that although she didn't judge people for getting it, she thought it was "not great" for people.
In her Instagram post about her lipo, she acknowledged her past views, saying "never thought i would do anything but talk to me after your uterus doesn’t contract for 2.5 years and you turn 40."
We love that she can acknowledge that she changed her mind and that life after having a kid and getting a little older can shift how we think about ourselves and our choices. Being able to admit she changed her mind is something more people need to be able to do!
Ultimately, Amy's body is Amy's business.
We're happy for Amy because Amy seems happy for Amy. If anyone, celeb or not, makes choices that feel right for their body and are honest about why they made those choices, we're gonna have their backs!
So good for Amy Schumer and for any other mom figuring out how to feel comfortable in her own skin.
