Amy Schumer’s #girlyoudontneedmakeup sketch just exploded on Twitter

As we’re sure you’ve noticed today, Amy Schumer‘s “Girl You Don’t Need Makeup” sketch is spreading like wildfire. On last night’s Inside Amy Schumer, the comedian debuted a song and video parodying One Direction‘s “What Makes You Beautiful” about the mixed messages that women get about wearing makeup but…not.

In Schumer’s skit, a One Direction-esque band praises her for her inner beauty and urges her to go au naturel, until they see her without a stitch of makeup on, and suddenly change their minds, singing “Girl, you’ll be the hottest girl in the nation, with just a touch of foundation” and “Girl, you’re perfect when you wake up, you don’t need any makeup/Just don’t go out like that, okay?”

The video has sparked a hashtag on Twitter that has exploded. Thousands of men and women are showing off their no-makeup selfies with the hashtah #girlyoudontneedmakeup and starting a discussion about what it means to take a stance on makeup (or lack thereof) based on the judgements of men.

Lyrics like “Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin’ with no makeup on/that’s when you’re the prettiest, I hope that you don’t take it wrong” and “Her hair falls perfectly without her trying” contribute to the mixed feelings about the natural look that celebrities idealize. We appreciate the thought but the reality is that the type of “natural” beauty that’s being praised isn’t exactly the norm (or even natural). Even Drake, who claims to prefer natural-looking women, dates women who look like this and this. Maybe they’re not wearing makeup (though they likely are) but they still have access to beauty treatments and products that not many people have.

And also, what about the women who just enjoy the process of doing their hair and putting on makeup? The reason we love #girlyoudontneedmakeup is because unlike #iwokeuplikethis or no makeup selfies, the message it promotes is simple: you don’t need makeup, but if you like wearing it, then that’s great, too.

We’ll just leave this here.

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