In the past year or so, we have been flooded with social media posts and interviews surrounding body positivity.  Hashtags such as #EffYourBeautyStandards and #HonorMyCurves, have been used more than 1,000,000 on Instagram alone to celebrate the beauty of all body types alike. This revolution has fueled by countless celebrities, who courageously show off their ‘flaws’ to prove that nobody is perfect. One woman who has truly impacted this change is Amy Schumer.

In the past couple of months, Schumer has appeared on talk shows, award ceremonies and press conferences to discuss her view on body image. At a stunning size 6, Schumer empowers men and women alike to love their own bodies despite the harsh comments that the media uses to criticize anyone above a size 4. “People get mad at confidence and they wanna knock it down. And you need to know that’s gonna happen and just hold onto it. I have moments all the time when I don’t feel good about myself and I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin, but I always find my way back. “

This brings up the issue of the media’s false interpretation on how a woman’s body, in particular, is ‘supposed’ to look like. Photoshop is used with thousands of companies and magazines that abuse the ability to slim waists, enlarge features, and airbrush any blemishes that would make a person appear anything less than perfect. Several corporations have been caught in the act with blatant mistakes in their editing. Victoria’s Secret, one of the most wealthy fashion companies in the world, has been discovered numerous times to have photoshopped their models to the point that have resulted in missing hips, added butt cheek(s), and dangerously emaciated arms. Yet, Victoria’s Secret models remain some of the most internationally idolized women for their bodies.

So many women, and men, punish themselves for not appearing as society dictates them to be. Young boys are being taught to criticize girls and associate a large bust, pinched waist and accentuated thigh-gap with beauty. Young girls are being influenced by the perfect, Barbie-doll figure, which is realistically impossible to obtain without countless plastic surgery procedures. It’s about time that influential people, such as Amy Schumer, speak out to try and demolish the stigma behind how the media portrays people as the only ideal form of beauty. She continues to fight and her success is because of her impeccable self-confidence. “I am who I am, and I’m going to actually love the skin that I’m in. I’m not gonna be striving for some other version of myself.