Amy Schumer, Avowed Feminist, Continues to Be Clueless About Feminism

It makes me very sad to report that “I Love You, Amy Schumer, But You’re Wrong” has become an evergreen headline. In August, I rolled it out when Schumer failed to disavow the misogynist garbage spewed by Inside Amy Schumer writer Kurt Metzger.

This time, it applies to a horrendous “tribute” video she made starring herself and other mostly white women lip-synching to Beyoncé’s “Formation.” It’s a bad video that erases the provenance, audience, and political significance of Beyoncé’s original, and I’m not embedding it. But here’s an excerpt from a Lainey Gossip piece that breaks down exactly what’s wrong with Schumer’s video, if it isn’t already abundantly clear:

I said, “What is happening?” out loud to myself approximately every 7 seconds of that video. Formation is an anthem for black women that addresses police brutality and unapologetically celebrates black culture. In this clip, Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn are purposefully butchering choreography for the apparent punchline: “Look! We’re white women lip syncing to Beyoncé! It’s funny ‘cause we’re white!” They are also both wearing t-shirts that say “Texas Bama.” This is the line in Formation the shirts are referencing:

My daddy Alabama / Mama Louisiana / You mix that negro with that Creole / Make a Texas Bama

That term has serious racial connotations. Jesmyn Ward wrote beautifully about its history for NPR when Formation first dropped. In the song, Beyoncé proudly claimed her background as a badge of honour, instead of something to be ashamed of. Amy Schumer put it on a t-shirt and expected us to giggle.

In a climate where so few pieces of pop culture are made for and by black women, Lemonade feels uniquely our own. Personally, Lemonade means so much to me it’s hard to articulate. Lainey and I both wrote about its feminist and cultural importance when Beyoncé first gifted us with her masterpiece. All of this is why Amy Schumer’s dumb rip-off is so confounding. It’s unnecessary, unfunny and unoriginal.

Schumer didn’t apologize for any of this. She posted a lengthy, defensive essay on Medium saying that it wasn’t meant to be a parody and that it’s all cool because her stunt double has a Lemonade tattoo. REALLY. THAT HAPPENED.

Whenever I critique Amy Schumer for something like this, a comment I almost always get is “WHY IS THE MEAN LADY BEING MEAN TO ANOTHER LADY TO QUOTE TAYLOR SWIFT THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL,” etc. which is a weird response to an alt-weekly employee saying she doesn’t like your problematic fave. It’s also incorrect. Because the problem with Amy Schumer is that if she wanted to be a contrarian sharer of unpopular opinions—a cantankerous comedy-world version of, say, Meghan Daum—she could do that. In fact, she did do that, back before she retired her casually racist rape jokes and started publicly celebrating feminism.

But in recent years, Schumer has made feminism an explicit part of her brand. She has stated, on the record, that feminists are “in good hands” with her. It’s not unfair to hold her accountable to the standard she’s set for herself. Anyway, I’m really sick of writing about Amy Schumer doing dumb, embarrassing things and not apologizing for them. Maybe someday she’ll pick up Kimberle Crenshaw or something and unzip her privilege backpack, but until that happens, I can’t say with any confidence that feminists are in good hands with someone whose feminism is looking more and more suspect by the day. And why would I when the Broad City ladies, Issa Rae, 2 Dope Queens, Samantha Bee, and the ladies who fill up the All Jane Comedy Fest lineup every year all exist? We aren’t starved for feminist-informed comedy. It’s flourishing right now. And that may be one of the reasons Schumer’s claim to it rings so hollow.