amy schumer

In one of her latest sketches, Amy Schumer is serenaded by boy band members imploring her to remove her makeup.

“Girl you don’t need makeup. You’re perfect when you wake up,” they croon.

But as Schumer smiles and begins to wash her face, their tone changes.

“I didn’t know that your lashes were so stubby and pale,” they sing. “Just a little mascara and you’ll look female.”

The sketch points out an unfortunate reality: Women are told that the “natural” look is attractive, yet those who don’t wear makeup are often criticized. Schumer’s mockery of the situation is hilarious, but it makes clear that something isn’t right.

Now in its third season, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer has received more attention than ever before. Her sketches are strongly feminist, focusing on topics such as whether she’s pretty enough to be on TV or the recent trend toward obsessing over women’s rear ends.

Some of Schumer’s most clever work doesn’t even star her. In a sketch about rape culture, Schumer plays a high school football coach’s wife. She stands on the sidelines drinking progressively larger glasses of wine, while her husband lectures the team not to rape. The students whine and offer possible situations in which it might be OK.

But while the jokes within her sketches are funny, occasionally Schumer becomes monotonous. She tends to pick large social issues and present the obvious feminist approach. While her pieces are well written and generally entertaining, they rarely add something new to the conversation.

In a sketch “Plain Jane,” Schumer plays an undercover cop who is never noticed by “hot” people. It’s great to see her sat on and transformed into a pile of leaves or an inflatable snowman, but the sketch doesn’t seem to go further than to complain that there’s too much emphasis on beauty. Schumer often presents the mainstream alternate opinion.

Yet, in entertainment value, Schumer’s work deserves the praise it’s received. While the first and second seasons were worth some chuckles, Schumer’s latest episodes have been her finest. She’s moved on from rather cringeworthy exaggerations (“Who’s More Over Their Ex?”) to broader topics that provide her with more opportunities to show off her talent. Her brilliance lies in her ability to play stereotypical “generic women.” She proves her point through characters that are oblivious to the intentions of men and always ready to follow the crowd.

As a standup comedian, Schumer branded herself as the cute girl who never shuts up about her vagina. But unfortunately, she had a tendency to overuse that label, and that joke. She challenges the standards for female comedians, but at some point she began to overdo it. Her sketches allow her to be just as bold without the repetition.

As Schumer propels into comedy stardom, one of her latest projects is a movie called “Trainwreck” directed by Judd Apatow. Schumer’s character, taught by her father to hate monogamy, spends her 20s sleeping around and is taken aback when someone wants to date her. While the plot is watery, there’s potential for Schumer to crack some good jokes. Chances are, she won’t disappoint.

Trainwreck comes to theaters July 17. You can catch Inside Amy Schumer Tuesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.