Glamour recently issued the magazine’s first “plus-sized” issue ever, in collaboration with plus-sized clothing retailer Lane Bryant and featuring cover model Ashley Graham. Also on the cover is a list of ostensibly “plus-sized” women who are said to be an inspiration, including Graham, Melissa McCarthy, Adele, and Amy Schumer.
Uh, hold the phone? Is Amy Schumer curvier than the average sub-size two actress or model? Sure. Is she plus-sized? Not… exactly. So, suffice to say, Schumer was not thrilled with the classification, and went to Twitter to solicit thoughts. Of course, the big issue at hand here is not about Schumer feeling personally offended, but what the commentary says to society in general.
She was soon backed up by Elite Daily, which took similar umbrage with the insinuation:
https://twitter.com/amyschumer/status/717374159265927168
Predictably, Twitter was quick to respond, with Schumer retweeting a few who spoke out against the dangers of labeling women’s bodies:
I don't think labels are the way to go. Singling women out for their size, and making a point about it is never glamorous @amyschumer
— Juliette Gash (@JulietteGash) April 5, 2016
@amyschumer 'plus size' is just another way of splitting us into uniformed groups, putting a label on people's appearance.
— Kathryn Williams (@KathWalesOnline) April 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheMeganFord/status/717375442144141312
@amyschumer I was super excited about just recently getting to a size 8 – seeing this makes me bummed out. would never use that term for you
— Maddy Pryor (@maddyyypryor) April 5, 2016
@amyschumer The idea of a plus-size issue, in general, bothers me. Why not include women of all shapes in every issue?
— Michael Buchinger (@MichiBuchinger) April 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/xLiserx/status/717372878136680452
One more time for the people in the back: @amyschumer is not plus size
— ©️ (@reincarmation) April 5, 2016
@amyschumer This list of women is inspiring! Why does the size of their body even matter???? I agree with you Amy!
— Elizabeth VanMetre (@ElizabethRoseVM) April 5, 2016
@amyschumer The headline should just stay at "Women who inspire us." Seemingly accurate even without adjectives regarding size.
— E (@itselizabethj) April 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/NerdyAyna/status/717372802710392832
But in the end, no one said it better than SNL‘s Aidy Bryant:
https://twitter.com/aidybryant/status/717374906929922048