It was just a few minutes of footage. In 2018, when the I Feel Pretty trailer dropped, the internet didn't just react—it imploded. You probably remember the premise. Amy Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a woman struggling with low self-esteem who hits her head during a SoulCycle class and wakes up believing she is the most beautiful woman on the planet. To her, she’s a supermodel. To the rest of the world, she looks exactly the same.
The backlash was instant. People were genuinely ticked off.
The core of the anger wasn't just about the jokes. It was about the optics. Here was Amy Schumer—a blonde, white, conventionally proportioned woman who fits into most standard clothing stores—acting like her existence was a tragedy until a traumatic brain injury convinced her otherwise. Critics felt the trailer suggested that a woman who looks like Schumer should naturally feel "ugly." That's a heavy pill to swallow for a demographic that has been fighting for body positivity for decades.
What the I Feel Pretty Trailer got wrong (and right) about body image
If you watch the I Feel Pretty trailer today, it feels like a time capsule of a very specific moment in the body positivity movement. It was a transition period. We were moving away from "all bodies are beautiful" marketing and toward "body neutrality," where your appearance shouldn't matter at all. The trailer, however, leaned heavily into the "clumsy girl" trope.
It starts with Renee staring at herself in a mirror, looking dejected while a high-fashion makeup tutorial plays in the background. Then, the "accident" happens. The music shifts. The tone becomes slapstick.
Honestly, the marketing team probably thought they had a slam dunk. They had a massive star in Amy Schumer and a message about confidence being an internal state. But the nuances got lost in the edit. By focusing so hard on the "before" and "after" mental states, the trailer accidentally highlighted the very insecurities it was trying to parody.
The SoulCycle incident and the "Magic" head hit
The centerpiece of the trailer—the spin class fall—is where the movie's logic lives or dies. Renee falls, bangs her head, and the camera lingers on her dazed expression. When she looks in the mirror at the gym, she gasps. She’s "gorgeous."
This is a classic "high concept" comedy trope. Think Liar Liar or Big. But when applied to female body image, it becomes a minefield.
Social media users, specifically on Twitter and YouTube, pointed out that Schumer is actually quite fit and conventionally attractive. The trailer asked the audience to buy into the idea that her being "average" was a massive obstacle to overcome. For many viewers, that felt like a slap in the face. If she's the "before" picture, what does that make everyone else?
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The casting controversy that wouldn't die
When we talk about the I Feel Pretty trailer, we have to talk about the casting. There was a segment of the audience that felt the role should have gone to someone who actually challenges beauty standards.
Imagine if the lead was a plus-size woman of color. Or someone with a visible disability. The stakes would have been different. By casting Schumer, the directors (Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein) stayed in a safe, commercial zone that ultimately backfired.
- Schumer was already a polarizing figure due to her stand-up.
- The "average" woman narrative felt disingenuous coming from a Hollywood millionaire.
- The supporting cast, including Michelle Williams and Emily Ratajkowski, reinforced the very "model" standards the movie tried to mock.
Michelle Williams, oddly enough, was the standout for many. Her high-pitched, whispery voice as Avery LeClaire was a choice. A weird one. But in the trailer, it served to show that even the "perfect" women have deep-seated insecurities. It just didn't translate well in a two-minute clip.
Analyzing the "Confidence" vs. "Delusion" debate
The trailer basically frames confidence as a form of temporary insanity. That’s a hot take.
When Renee enters a bikini contest—a scene heavily featured in the I Feel Pretty trailer—she’s dancing with an energy that most people reserve for private moments in front of a mirror. The audience in the film is stunned. The audience watching the trailer was divided.
Is it empowering to see a woman stop caring what people think? Absolutely. Is it problematic that she only stops caring because she thinks she’s "skinny" now? That’s where the friction lies.
The movie actually tries to subvert this later on, but trailers aren't built for subversion. They are built for hooks. And the hook for I Feel Pretty was: "Look at this average woman acting like she’s a 10! Isn't that wild?"
Comparing the trailer to the actual movie
Trailers lie. We know this.
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The I Feel Pretty trailer sold a movie that was much more superficial than the final product. In the actual film, there’s a scene where Renee realizes she hasn't changed physically. It’s supposed to be the "aha!" moment.
But the trailer prioritized the physical comedy. It showed her falling off a bike, her Spanx ripping, and her hitting on men who are clearly confused by her sudden bravado. It missed the pathos. It missed the fact that Renee is actually a talented person who was holding herself back.
It's a classic case of marketing for the lowest common denominator and paying the price in public relations.
Why the backlash mattered for Hollywood
After the I Feel Pretty trailer fiasco, we saw a slight shift in how studios handled body-centric comedies. They got quieter. The "makeover" trope, which had been a staple of cinema from She’s All That to The Devil Wears Prada, started to feel dated and dangerous.
People wanted authenticity. They wanted characters who were confident without needing a concussion to get there.
Interestingly, the movie ended up making about $94 million worldwide. It wasn't a flop. But it didn't become a cultural touchstone like Bridesmaids. It became a case study in how not to market self-esteem.
Specific moments that triggered the "Cringe" factor
There are a few beats in the trailer that still get discussed in film marketing circles.
- The Laundry Room Scene: Renee tries to "model" for a guy who is just trying to do his clothes. It’s meant to be funny because she thinks she’s being seductive. The reality is just... awkward.
- The High-End Office: Renee works in a basement for a luxury cosmetic brand. The trailer shows her moving to the "glamorous" 5th Avenue office. The implication that you can't work in a nice office unless you feel "pretty" was a bit too real for many working women.
- The Mirror Monologue: "I've always wondered what it feels like to be undeniably pretty." This line, delivered with tears in her eyes, was meant to be the emotional anchor. Instead, it became the focal point for critics who felt Schumer was the wrong vessel for that specific pain.
The role of Emily Ratajkowski
Seeing Emily Ratajkowski in the I Feel Pretty trailer was a deliberate choice. She represents the "standard."
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There is a brief moment where Renee looks at Emily’s character with a mix of awe and pity. The movie tries to argue that even "perfect" women feel inadequate. While that’s a factual, human truth, putting it in a trailer next to Amy Schumer falling off a stationary bike felt like the movie was trying to have its cake and eat it too. It wanted to be a "real" movie about "real" women while still casting one of the most famous models in the world to act as a foil.
Actionable insights for viewing the film today
If you are going back to watch the movie based on the I Feel Pretty trailer, you should go in with a different set of expectations.
- Ignore the "Magic" element: Treat the head injury as a metaphor for a mental shift rather than a literal plot point. It makes the movie much more tolerable.
- Focus on the Career Subplot: The movie is actually better when it focuses on Renee's professional competence rather than her dating life.
- Watch for Michelle Williams: Seriously, her performance is the most "actor-y" thing in the movie and it's fascinatingly weird.
- Contrast with "Shrill" or "Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls": If you want to see how body image is handled in the 2020s, compare I Feel Pretty to more recent media. The difference in tone is staggering.
The I Feel Pretty trailer remains a masterclass in how a film's marketing can completely overshadow its actual message. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it was a poorly "packaged" one. It tried to speak to a community it didn't quite understand, using a language that was already becoming obsolete.
In the end, Renee's journey was about realizing that the world didn't change—she did. But for the people watching the trailer on their phones in 2018, the world had already changed too much for this kind of "ugly duckling" story to fly without a fight.
To truly understand the impact of this film, one must look past the 150-second clip and examine the broader conversation it forced about who gets to tell stories about insecurity. The trailer wasn't just a preview; it was a catalyst for a much-needed debate on representation and the "average" woman in cinema.
Practical Next Steps
For those interested in the evolution of body image in media following this release:
- Analyze the "Before and After" Trope: Research the "Magic Mirror" trope in film history to see how it evolved from The Nutty Professor to today.
- Compare Marketing Campaigns: Look at the trailer for I Feel Pretty alongside the trailer for Dumplin' (released the same year) to see how different tones reached different audiences.
- Audit Your Media Consumption: Notice how often "confidence" is tied to physical appearance in the trailers you see on social media today versus five years ago.