5 Reasons We Salute You, Chelsea Handler

March 3, 2010 5:00 pm     Posted in Buzz, Reality  Jessica- Delaware g+ page


By Jessica

[Besides being the month of St. Patrick's Day and CollegeCandy's editor's birthday, March is Women's History Month. Instead of honoring the great women of our past, however, we at CC want to honor the women they inspired and who now inspire us. Every Wednesday this month we are going to highlight a woman who is currently dominating her field and showing us that we can really do anything. These women are strong, powerful, famous, and doing their thing even better than their male counterparts, so let's give them the attention they deserve!]

First up is Chelsea Handler, a self-made celebrity who is smart, beautiful, hilarious, and full of talent. We could probably list a billion reasons why we love this woman (including her shoe collection, her interviewing skills, Margarita Thursdays…), but here are the 5 biggest reasons Chelsea Handler has inspired us.

1. She didn’t go to college
Obviously, we think college is an amazing, worthwhile experience (hence the name of the website – COLLEGECandy). But it’s amazing to me that Chelsea was so motivated, driven, and fearless that she didn’t feel the need to go the traditional college route in order to pursue her dreams. And she’s made herself an empire! (Not to mention she pulls a much larger salary than I’ll ever get with my college degree).

2. She’s A Renaissance Woman
Best-selling author, actress, TV host, and stand-up comedian!? Chelsea does it all, and does it well.  Both of her books – Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, and My Horizontal Life – were on the New York Times Bestseller List (and she has another book slated for release in March, yayy!), and she won Bravo’s “A-List Funny” Award in 2009. 

3. She’s Transformed Late-Night Comedy
While Conan and Leno were battling over late-night, Handler was sittin’ pretty and watching her show get more and more successful, recently being picked up through 2012. Her ad revenue has even surpassed that of comedian powerhouse, Steven Colbert! Not only that, but she generously uses her success as a platform for up-and-coming comedians. While most comedians hate sharing the spotlight (lest someone looks funnier than them), Chelsea’s round table showcases comedians that she considers friends and she even brings them on tour! Comedians like Heather McDonald, Loni Love and Brad Wollack have all been hired for more gigs after being seen on Chelsea’s show.

4. She’s Got a Killer Bod
And she works hard for it! Between her hectic schedule for the show, writing books, and making media appearances, Chelsea makes time for hour-long workouts at the gym private and Pilates classes. She eats a very strict diet and counts calories, allowing her to indulge in her one true love: vodka. (Honestly, what college woman can’t relate to and respect that?)

5. She’s Not Afraid to Be Herself
Anyone who’s seen Chelsea on TV or read her books knows that her no-holds barred sense of humor is what gave her success. She speaks candidly about pretty much everything and isn’t afraid of offending anyone. She also exudes confidence and isn’t afraid to use her sexuality, having appeared in both Maxim’s Hot 100 and on the cover of Playboy last year. Chelsea doesn’t try to fit a mold to be successful in Hollywood and look at her now, on the top of her game.

Chelsea Handler inspires me to be myself and not to let others tell me what to do or who to be. She is a unique personality in the entertainment industry and a breath of fresh air. I can’t think of a better woman to kick off this month with, and I really think the world needs more people like her to step into the spotlight!

27 Comments on "5 Reasons We Salute You, Chelsea Handler"

  1. Steph says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 201012:48 pm 

    I'm so glad you wrote this! She's totally my role model…I absolutely love her self confidence and how candid she can be. I get to see her stand up for her book tour this month and it is what's keeping me going through finals haha.

  2. Miriam says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20101:47 pm 

    While I agree with most of this article, I think that loving someone because they have a "killer bod" is kind of disappointing. Can we take some focus away from women's bodies, please?

  3. Kelly - Simmons Coll says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20101:58 pm 

    I second Miriam's comment.

  4. natalie says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20102:14 pm 

    maybe she got her show, and "pursued her dreams" and has "made herself an empire" because she started dating the CEO of E!…i don't think i can really admire her for being self-motivated and driven…just sayin'

  5. Asra says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20105:33 pm 

    i think having a killer bod can be a reason to admire her! she obviously works hard for it. it's not like the author is praising her for plastic surgery or anorexia or anything

    the comments on this website are so unnecessarily harsh!

  6. Jessica- Delaware says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20109:07 pm 

    Miriam- I'm not trying to focus on the bod, I was just trying to make the point that Chelsea stays HEALTHY and fabulous despite a crazy schedule, something everyone in college can admit to struggling with!

    and Cait- I have an editor, thank you. I was just making the point that Chelsea was bold enough to not go the traditional route of a 4 year degree, but still made a huge career for herself. I don't print false info, but if you don't like my posts then you can stop reading them :)

  7. lysy says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 201010:12 pm 

    love the article i totally look up to chelsea handler she's my favorite comic out there!!!

  8. Nel says:
    Thu, 4th Mar 20103:45 am 

    Really….out of all the fantastic women out there you chose this person…what about laura ling and euna lee..or maya angelou…seriously i don't even know who this woman is. and what makes her a great role model is that she appeared on maxin…she has not helped women's rights in anyway but she has appeared naked so men could masturbate to her. fantastic

  9. Mel says:
    Thu, 4th Mar 20103:45 am 

    Steven Colbert is actually spelled Stephen.

  10. Ashley says:
    Thu, 4th Mar 20108:04 am 

    YESS. good article…..Chelsea Handler is a role model of mine as well. I think we will be seeing alot more of her in the next year :)

  11. molly Johnson says:
    Thu, 4th Mar 20103:40 pm 

    @ NEL

    You'll notice the article states it's going to:

    "highlight a woman who is currently dominating her field and showing us that we can really do anything."

    People have been singing maya angelou's praises for many years. The idea here was FRESH PPL. we all know those other women are great.

    And being on the cover of maxim does not make one naked. honestly.

  12. ihatestupidpeople says:
    Thu, 4th Mar 20106:03 pm 

    Nel–

    Late night television has always been dominated by men…I think the fact that she is holding her own in this field deserves to be highlighted–and guess what? A woman that is helping to bring equality between the sexes is someone who is helping womens' rights…and this article series is running for ALL of March where other women will be highlighted as well…maybe even Lisa Ling… so keep your panties from bunching in a knot and at least wait to see who else is featured before jumping down the author's throat, moron.

  13. Bobbie English-Wadde says:
    Sun, 7th Mar 201012:11 am 

    To the bod statement I agree… She is all natural American Homegrown Lady! She IS Hot. But natural she is what {our higher power to whom I choose to call (GOD)} gave her. She isn't way too thin; She is well developed, which I wish I was! But her personality is what makes her most sexy! C.H. is down to earth and real. I record all her shows… I never want to miss one. I wish she had more airtime, Longer time with her would be great. I believe she would win the hearts of Americans if she was on abc nbc cbs, where those who don't have a chance to get E. Can view her program, in addition to a longer air time. Plus like say by someone else her style of interviewing is a breath of fresh air. And she ain't a butt kisser, which I think is great in fact she may make fun of someone or their situation but she ain't oh excuse me isn't a hypocrite, she will do so if they were sitting next to them… I love her, in so many ways and I would give anything to meet her and shake her hand! I am a 28yr old single mom, who don't have a lot but am happy with what I got! I believe her and I would vibe so well…..

  14. Bobbie English-Wadde says:
    Sun, 7th Mar 201012:15 am 

    P.S She should win an award for something like best late night tv host. And Joy B. should do her homework before she makes comments like there are not great female late night talk shows or whatever she said… and Chuy is the bomb co host or whatever his title is…..

  15. Jackie says:
    Thu, 11th Mar 201012:53 pm 

    I love her. Thats it.

  16. Cynthia says:
    Mon, 5th Jul 20102:37 am 

    Whoever said "a woman who is helping bring equality to the sexes" about chelsea handler must not understand equality. She slept her way to the top; that is only widening the gap. I do like her show, think she is funny, but I don't think she should be celebrated for women's history month. Of course the author of this would include "she has a killer bod" as a reason to look up to her…to this I say, the only thing worse than a male chauvinist pig is a female one. The fact that a woman has a "killer bod" doesn't make her a great or talented woman. She may be both of those but its not her body that makes it so. It's disheartening that so many young women take this stance on "equality" not realizing that it's quite the opposite. I'm 26 by the way and I am far from conservative; I'm very open sexually and have worked hard for my body. But by no means do I want to be judged by it, nor should anyone, good or bad. I have lived through a lot of sides of the whole "equality" equation, have seen/heard a lot of good and a lot of bad. This article and its comments makes me shake my head in disbelief.

  17. Cynthia says:
    Mon, 5th Jul 20102:56 am 

    "She is holding her own in a male dominated field…is helping women's rights…" I find it ironic that your screen name is "ihatestupidpeople." I work in a male dominated feild. I know women who sleep their way to the top. They are not holding their own, they are fueling the sexism that is already there. And wether they want to realize it or not, they will end up hurting themselves as well the women around them sooner or later. Maybe you don't know about Chelsea's relationship with the E! ceo. Sleeping with your boss does the opposite of helping women's rights. I have been pushed out of jobs by women who got theirs by sleeping with the boss(not to be conceited but they were threatened by a prettier girl, little did they know I would never do something like that), and at my last job, out of the 3 girls that worked there in the same department, the least talented one got the most "respect"/promotions. Why? Because she slept with the boss and flirted(in your face style, it was obviously not innocent or accidental) with every other guy in the company. And to the people who try to dumb things down and shout "jealousy!" at me, no, she also was not the most attractive girl around. Kind of off topic, but some of these comments got me way heated.

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