A Ridiculously Self-Conscious Woman's Review Of 'I Feel Pretty'

The new Amy Schumer flick that I didn't expect to hit me so hard.

You may have seen the trailer for Amy Schumer's new comedy, 'I Feel Pretty'.

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In the movie, Amy's character Renee falls off a spin bike during a Soul Cycle class and whacks her head. When she wakes up, even though she's the same Renee, she see's herself as a physically 'beautiful' woman.

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Now I know what you're thinking-- 'oh great, now this is where the movie turns in to this cheesy crap-fest where the girl gets everything she wants because she's thin and traditionally beautiful', but if that is what you think, you'd be very wrong.

I went in to this movie hoping for some Sunday night entertainment, and got so much more than I expected.

Renee's struggles before the whole Soul Cycle Incident were so relatable that during the scene where she takes off her skirt and blouse and looks at herself in the mirror in her Spanx and run-of-the-mill bra, I realized I was crying. It was a simple moment, there wasn't even any dialogue, jokes or melodramatic music. But the way she was looking at herself, like she wished she was seeing something that she wasn't so disappointed in hit close to home for me (and I'm sure for any other woman who's ever looked in a mirror).

I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum here, so I'll just say that after she hits her head, Renee (thinking she has transformed into this perfectly 'beautiful' woman) gets the job she's always really wanted and finds a great guy.

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Still not convinced it's just another cute romantic comedy? The real moment that will get to you in the movie is toward the end. After another hit to the head (yeah, Renee's stylish, but pretty clumsy) she sees herself the way she used to again and everything she's achieved in her 'beautiful' life starts to falls apart. The kicker here (for us and Renee)?

It never mattered what she looked like.

When I walk down a hallway at work, I look at the ground of pretend to be picking at something on my sleeve because I'm so self-conscious about what I look like that I try to avoid drawing people's attention to me. When I'm in a mirrored elevator, I refuse to look up. When I open my camera and it's front-facing, I will actually scream. But I learned a very important lesson from my clumsy pal Renee-- if you believe it yourself, other people will believe it to. She was still physically the same Renee to the rest of the world, but because she was so confident and not focused on her insecurities, she portrayed the Renee she always wanted to be and everyone saw it.

So what's stopping us?

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Why do so many women (and people in general) get caught up in their insecurities and let them stand in the way of their greatness?

I'm a 26 year old woman with belly flub and a jawline that seems non-existent, but why should that make me any less capable or generally awesome?

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I have a supportive family, friends that love me, and talents that I know are special. Do my jeans sometimes feel more tight than others? Sure. Is my side profile one of the main reasons I don't want to get married in a church? You bet. Am I still good enough to (what I'm officially calling) 'Renee the shit out of my life'? Hell. Yes.

“I started to believe if I wanted it bad enough, it would happen.” – Renee

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So go see 'I Feel Pretty'. Please.

Feel those same crappy feeling's Renee feels, and then get inspired when you realize that if you change your confidence you can change so much more than just how 'good' you look in your favorite dress.