The Internet v. Amy Schumer

This morning, while listening to the radio on the way to school I heard about a bit of controversy surrounding a new Barbie movie starring female comedian and actress, Amy Schumer. The radio hosts stated that Schumer had been getting a lot of hate from trolls online in regards to this casting mainly because people don't seem to think she's "thin enough" for the role of Barbie. I was appalled that so many people would go out of their way to intentionally body shame an actress who obviously fit the role in the filmmakers eyes; nobody is perfect and she shouldn't have to be to play Barbie - but the internet thinks she should be.

I decided to look a bit further into the issue and came across an article titled "Outraged Trolls Body Shame Amy Schumer Following Barbie Casting Announcement", written by S.C. O'Donnell, which points out that the casting was done intentionally to break the perfect mold that Barbie has come to symbolize for women. "As far as we know, the plot for the film revolves around Barbie being kicked out of Barbie-Land for not being "perfect" enough – she then sets out on a journey of self-discovery, and learns that real beauty comes from within" states author O'Donnell. The twitter trolls seem to be against the forward thinking ideals of this movie and continue to hound Schumer about her weight. 

I wouldn't say that I'm a radical feminist but I do believe that women are still oppressed in many areas of today's society. Mainly, society has such a "perfect" yet unattainable view of women and cannot come to accept anyone who doesn't look like a Victoria's Secret Angel  to be cast in a leading role in a movie or on the cover of a magazine. Isn't it crazy that in such a "progressive" society, we can't even be accepting of our mothers, sisters, and daughters in all shapes and sizes? Feel free to leave comments on the topic or just women & the Internet in general.