When it was announced that Amy Schumer was set to play a rebellious Barbie in an upcoming film about the popular toy, women everywhere rejoiced. After all, with her ground-breaking comedy, frank chats about being a woman and take-no-prisoners shut-downs, she’s the perfect antidote to the Stepford Wives-esque Barbie of the 1950s.
Except sadly not everyone felt the same.
Trolls on Twitter were quick to slam the casting, citing Schumer’s ‘size’ as inappropriate to the unrealistically proportioned doll.
The Trainwreck star reacted to the body-shaming in her characteristic intelligent way, penning an essay on Instagram slamming the trolls while ensuring her fans that she has nothing but love for herself.
‘Is it fat shaming if you know you're not fat and have zero shame in your game? I don't think so. I am strong and proud of how I live my life and say what I mean and fight for what I believe in and I have a blast doing it with the people I love. Where's the shame? It's not there. It's an illusion. When I look in the mirror I know who I am.
‘Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support and again my deepest sympathy goes out to the trolls who are in more pain than we will ever understand. I want to thank them for making it so evident that I am a great choice. It's that kind of response that lets you know something's wrong with our culture and we all need to work together to change it.
‘Anyone who has ever been bullied or felt bad about yourself I am out there fighting for you, for us. And I want you to fight for yourself too! We need to laugh at the haters and sympathize with them. They can scream as loud as they want. We can't hear them because we are getting shit done. I am proud to lead by example.’
The film, due for release in summer 2018, will feature Schumer as a Barbie who doesn’t ‘fit in’ with the other Barbies in Barbieland (her neighbours will include the likes of Yoga Teacher Barbie, Cheerleader Barbie and Horse-Riding Barbie), leading to her being expelled for being different. Schumer was no doubt cast for her girl power credentials - who better to play the modern female icon in the 21st century?