Side-by-side photos of Aphrodite and Amy Schumer point out an important message on body image
A 22-year-old named Whitney pointed this out with side-by-side photos of a statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and comedian Amy Schumer in a post on her Instagram account, @whitneyzombie.
"On the left is a sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite, who is renowned for her beauty. On the right is Amy Schumer. What a wonderful resemblance between two beautiful women," she wrote.
Her important message highlights the issues with body shaming and unrealistic standards.
"So many women and young girls are shamed by the media and fashion industry for not having a flat stomach and not being a size zero," she continued. "But look, the goddess of beauty is portrayed here with stomach rolls and doesn't have a perfectly smooth, toned body."
Schumer shared the photos on her social accounts thanking Whitney for posting it.
The comedian has spoken out about her struggles with body image on multiple occasions.
In an interview with "Today" in October 2015, she said, "It's been a struggle for me my whole life, especially just being in the entertainment industry, standing on a stage in front of people. I can't perform my best or be confident if I'm not sure, if I'm pulling at something. Sometimes I would just want to throw in the towel and say, 'I'm not going to do stand-up tonight.'"
Earlier this year, she shot back at Glamour after being mentioned on the cover for their "plus-size" issue.
"I think there's nothing wrong with being plus size," she wrote on an Instagram post. "Beautiful healthy women. Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8. @glamourmag put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know and it doesn't feel right to me."
Whitney ended her post with a powerful reminder of body positivity.
"I want to remind everyone that they do not have to be a Victoria's Secret model to be a beautiful goddess with a beautiful body," she wrote. "Your body is not bad, ugly, or wrong. Embrace your inner goddess."