Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Join today
Already a member?
Log in
Amy Schumer is calling out movie animators for hypersexualizing mother characters with wide hips and curves.
The 45-year-old comedian wrote on her Instagram Story on Friday: “Why do moms in animations have to look like porn stars and the same age as their kids?”
The Trainwreck star included footage of the mom character’s backside in 2017 movie The Son of Bigfoot. “Slightly short haircut = mom?” she added.
Indie animation duo Karni & Saul reposted Schumer’s post to their joint Instagram page, writing: “Couldn’t agree more.” They added that the “short answer” is “because men design and direct them.”
“Get women in there, and it all changes,” the duo wrote. Schumer then reshared their response to her Story.
The Independent has reached out to nWave Studios, which produced The Son of Bigfoot, for a response to Schumer’s remark.
Schumer has shared her qualms with animated movies in the past. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2022, she said that she was taken aback by racist, sexist and offensive material in movies she wanted to show her son, including Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and even Tangled.
“I’m sure you’ve seen they have all the warnings now,” Schumer said about the cultural disclaimers that Disney has put ahead of certain films on its streaming platform. “Just like, ‘We’re sorry!’ You know, ‘We’re still going to show it to you!’”
Watch Apple TV free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
She said that, in particular, the mermaids in Peter Pan show an inappropriate representation of women because “they’re topless and they all speak in a whisper.”
“I was like, ‘I don’t want my son to see this,’” Schumer said.
Schumer gave birth to her son Gene with ex-husband Chris Fischer in 2019.
The stand-up comedian announced their split with an unconventional Instagram post in December, writing: “blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after seven years.”
“We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time,” she continued.
Earlier this year, Schumer revealed that she limits her son’s screen time to focus on his development.
During an appearance on the Oprah Daily show, Schumer said that she wants her son to have a play-based childhood. “I do not let him play with my phone, ever,” she said. “We do absolutely no YouTube, unless he is getting a haircut.”