Comedian Amy Schumer, who tends to attract criticism for much of her work, offered an explanation for a video that drew a lot of flak even by Schumer’s standards. The video, which you can watch below, is inspired by Beyonce’s “Formation,” which dropped back in February and is part of her “Lemonade” album.
Schumer has been getting a lot of heat about cultural appropriation and has been accused of making light of the Beyonce track’s themes of race identity and police violence. But in an essay Schumer published Thursday night on the website Medium, the comedian says her video, which also features Goldie Hawn, is a celebration of Beyonce’s track, not a parody.
“Saying I love Beyonce’s album ‘Lemonade’ is a huge understatement. I believe it is one of the greatest pieces of art of our time,” Schumer writes in the piece, which runs under the headline “Information About My ‘Formation.'”
She goes on to tell some of the backstory behind the video, including how the women on the set of the movie she was filming with Hawn in Hawaii became inspired by political events and saw the video as an expression of their empowerment.
“It was NEVER a parody,” Schumer writes. “It was just us women celebrating each other. The video Beyonce made was so moving and I wouldn’t ever make fun of that. There is absolutely no way to.”
She adds: “My mission is to continue to work as hard as I can to empower women and make them laugh and feel better and I won’t let anything stop me. #strongertogether #alllove”
Here’s Schumer’s video …
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