I Never Thought Amy Schumer Was Funny, But ‘Growing’ Changed My Mind

It’s not that I didn’t like Amy Schumer, I’ve actively been a giant fan for everything she stands for. I love her feminist points of view and her unique ability to just always keep it real. But if I’m honest, she never really made me laugh that much. So as much as I adored her as a creative, I didn’t categorize as one of my favorite people in comedy.

But after watching her latest comedy special Growing, I was laughing just about the entire time, which is saying a lot. I don’t give pity laughs, even if I’m watching someone live. I’m critical perhaps even relentless when it comes to comedy. I’m only going to laugh if it’s funny. But right from the start, Amy Schumer gets fucking real about a lot of shit and the outcome is undeniably hilarious. I mean at one point literally, she actually yells out, “I almost just shit myself” as an actual and current concern.

She’s not altered or enhanced in any way, and it’s fucking beautiful. Her hair is thrown up in a bun matched with a flowy, comfortable dress. Within the first five minutes, she lifts this dress to show everyone the two bandaids she put over her now misshapen belly button. The crowd goes wild as she bares all and stays consistent with it.

She’s not trying to be funny, she just is funny. She digs into the reality of pregnancy as she points out that she had no idea that pregnancy was hard because “you bitches all lie about it.”

Schumer jokes about how her pregnancy-twin Meghan Markle is regularly photographed walking in six-inch heels with perfect makeup throughout her pregnancy and Amy’s here to let you know that this is the farthest thing from what really happens.

Schumer mentions how women are made to feel disgusted by their periods and afraid to speak too loudly when asking for a tampon. She reminds us how ridiculous it is to try and hide what is not seen as appealing regarding both menstruation and pregnancy, as it’s a natural result of the female anatomy.

It’s time women stop apologizing for their periods. And think about, to an extent, if we’re honest a lot of women feel the need to exaggerate the perfect joy they believe has to be presented when it comes to talking about pregnancy. Without lessening the miracle of giving birth, there’s a real opening right now for women to be more transparent and honest about the non-glamorous parts of being pregnant.

Especially in movies, Schumer jokes about the generic scene of a newly pregnant woman quickly going to throw up once in the bathroom, and then in the next visual, she’s painting a barn yelling YAY while giggling. This hilarious example is all too common, and I’m sure you’re already picturing some movie scenes in your head right now. Schumer drives her message home reminding everyone that being pregnant doesn’t change who you are as a person. But still, typically a lot of women try to imitate the pregnancies they follow online, just like we try to shadow everything else we literally follow online.

She layers her transparency as she talks about her fight with Hyperemesis, which has caused severe and prolonged vomiting during her pregnancy. It’s been excruciating for her, and she’s had to be hospitalized numerous times. Yet she still finds time to make jokes, perform for people, and most importantly mess with her husband every chance she gets, whom she absolutely adores.

She calls him the love of her life, and you can tell it’s genuine. She opens up about how he’s on the spectrum, and how his non-filter is the reason she fell in love with him. She gives herself kudos for being a fucking genius for marrying a chef, as she continues with:

“Do you guys like food? Because that’s what he makes.”

I can’t help but agree with the genius part. She details his proposal, as he woke her up from a deep sleep one early morning, and then proceeded to throw a ring box at her. Then, she went back to sleep. She goes onto appreciating the fact that it was a real proposal and not some over the top pitch planned all for show. She uses the movie comparison yet again, tying in the generic example of where the guy gets down on one knee, and the girl is overwhelmingly shocked. Schumer improvises:

“I didn’t even know you liked me!”

Well fucking done, Amy Schumer. I’ve never been pregnant, yet I found myself as a woman relating to you throughout the entire hour of Growing. Your authenticity is unmatched, and I’m inspired by your combination of humor, wit, realness, and relevancy.

Do yourself a favor and check out Amy’s special Growing streaming on Netflix now.