Amy Schumer just destroyed the stereotype about 'hormonal' women in power
In 2009, conservative radio host G. Gordon Liddy panicked about the appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, fearing that because Sotomayor is biologically a woman, her hormones would get in the way of her job. "Let's hope that the key conferences aren't when she's menstruating or something, or just before she's going to menstruate. That would really be bad," he said. "Lord knows what we would get then."
Menstruation panic hasn't gone away in 2016 — in fact, it's been aimed at everyone from Hillary Clinton to Megyn Kelly. It is also the target of Amy Schumer's latest skit, in which on her first day as president, Schumer realizes she's gotten her period.
Chaos naturally ensues. Schumer interrupts an emergency meeting to ask for Advil. She freaks out when an important Israeli official eats her last piece of chocolate. Then, in the middle of overseeing a Navy SEAL operation, she needs to change her tampon.
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While those like Liddy might find themselves nodding along, Schumer still manages to expertly skewer the ridiculous stereotypes about women in power. Watch the clip here, at The Daily Beast.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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