Women In Comedy
A Little Yin with Your Yang
Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but
backwards… and in high heels
-
Bob
Thaves
Every comic who hits the stage has a set of
challenges that they must overcome in order to do stand-up. Women who do
comedy have all the challenges men face, plus a unique set of our own.
The fact that the term “female comic” is so
prevalent supports my point. You don’t often hear “female doctors,” “female
lawyers,” “female senators” - even if men do outnumber women in those jobs.
Working in comedy can feel a bit like working in the NFL (National Football
League, for non-Americans) and sometimes you get harassed in the locker room.
This is not meant to disrespect male comics or male industry at all. Many men
in this industry support women - in and out of comedy. Many do not. Many women
in and out of this industry do not support women. But, that is their baggage. I
just want to make you aware of some of the challenges faced by women in comedy.
I write this chapter on the heels of
interesting developments in comedy. Within a
few months in 2012, Daniel Tosh had his “rape joke” scandal, and we heard Adam Carolla tell us that women are always the
least funny on the writing staff of television shows because of our “mediocre”
sense of humor. Eddie Brill was kind enough to share that women aren’t
“authentic” and go on stage and “act like men.” Long ago, Christopher Hitchens,
Jerry Lewis and John Belushi told us flatly that women just aren’t funny. If
that is not evidence to you of discrimination against women in comedy, you need
to look up the words “evidence” and “discrimination.” I’d be willing to
bet that a similar story comes out between me writing this
and you reading it.
According to Huffington Post, of
the 48 spots given to comedians on late night television in the first half of
2012, only two went to women (Late Night TV
Stand-Up Demographics: First Half Of 2012 Still Overwhelmingly Male, White:
Huffington Post, July 28, 2012). You can turn on any stand-up show, see a
comedy show live, look at the roster of comedy agents and managers and see a
huge disparity between the number of men and women. Some people say this is
because more men do comedy than women. True, but not nearly to the extent that
we are underrepresented. Maybe not many women in Kansas
do comedy, but I would say my experience in Los Angeles is that about 25% of comics are
female. I would guess New York
would be similar. Last time I checked, TV shows cast out of LA and NY, not Kansas. Yes, there
are a ton of women who aren’t funny or who are just not my cup of tea. But,
there are also a ton of men who are not funny to me. People who say that women
aren’t funny are not always getting the most exposure to comics who are women.
My funny friend Rosie Tran pointed out to me that if all you watch is Comedy
Central, whose dominant demographic is 18-34 year-old males, and you only see live
comedy shows rarely, you aren’t getting a whole lot of exposure to female
comics. There also seems to be a double standard when judging women. How often
do people see a painfully unfunny male comic and say, “Men aren’t funny?”
That’s the same as seeing a black comic you don’t like and saying “Black people
aren’t funny.” Each woman does not represent all women’s abilities and should
not be judged as such.
I’ve heard it said that “women aren’t as funny
as men” because we aren’t raised to be funny,
that our culture
does not encourage
women to be funny. That may be true about our culture to some extent, but it’s
not the 1950s anymore. It’s ok to be funny now. I think that our society
does not encourage women to be empowered, to stand up and speak out and own
their Selves and their thoughts and opinions. Women are encouraged to be
submissive and sweet and quiet. I think that’s why I often hear the ridiculous
accusation that women talk about sex (or their body parts) more than men on
stage. All I can say to that is: WTF? Sit through night after night of watching
men hump mic stands and stools and use the mic as their dick in a joke or do
ten minutes of masturbation and blow job jokes, and then tell me men don’t talk
about sex on stage. I think our culture does not see men talking about sex as
unusual, and therefore, we don’t notice it as much. It’s unusual to see a woman
publicly talking about sex, so it sticks out in our minds. Don’t let society
norms fool you (or remain intact).
It’s great that TV shows like Girls,
30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, Two Broke Girls, Whitney, The
Mindy Project and Veep are out there and that more movies are also being
made by women and starring women (in three-dimensional characters), especially
since the success of Bridesmaids. But, is it a trend or are women here
to stay in a big way? We have to work to make sure this is not a flash in the
pan, and that diversity is achieved in the types of women and points of view
that are represented. Also, I would like to see many women being given
opportunities rather than (or in addition to) a few select women given many
opportunities. There are going to be female projects that are weak, just like
some male projects are not funny. When “female comedy” is not all lumped
together in one package, we will be closer to having succeeded. I recently saw
a cartoon that reminded me of the “women aren’t funny” debate. The cartoon had
two panels. The first panel had a boy watching another boy trying to solve a
math problem on a chalk board and failing miserably. The boy watching said, “Wow. You suck at
math.” The second panel had the same scenario except the person trying to solve
the math problem was a little girl. The watcher then said, “Wow. Girls
suck at math.” That’s what we are trying to overcome.
Comics who are women face issues that
men do not need to consider often:
·
Safety: Is the club safe for me to go to at night and walk to and from my
car alone? Am I putting myself in a threatening situation? When on the road
alone in a strange state: What if my car breaks down? What are the
accommodations like? Will I be in a trashy hotel in a scary part of town?
Will I be in a comedy condo with two male comics I have never met?
·
Motherhood: Small children are harder to leave for women than men regarding
dependence. Being on the road and doing comedy in general while pregnant is
very difficult (and impossible toward the end). Mothers are typically
considered the ones that stay at home and don’t travel all over the country
rarely seeing their children. I know lots of male comics who rarely see their
kids, but not a lot of moms on the road. A lot of famous female comics are
childless or have children later in life, after their careers are established.
·
Sexual harassment: I could tell so many stories here, but I will
be brief. Female comics face sexual harassment on a regular basis from other
comics, club owners, bookers, club staff and audience members. We are given and
denied jobs based on our “fuckability” and willingness to play along. We are
intimidated, harassed and assaulted, verbally and physically. Some of us have
been frightened and some of us have been attacked. I have personally been
attacked on stage by a male audience member three different times; each time being
groped in front of the whole audience. I know women who have been assaulted by
other comics in the comedy condo and by the club staff or audience members
after the show. While not always the norm, the level of harassment can be
threatening and intimidating and, at times, overwhelming.
·
Discrimination: We face the stereotype that women aren’t funny
by some male comics, audience members and industry gatekeepers. I have had a
gig canceled at the last minute after being
told, “We already have a girl. We don’t want two chicks in one week.” Women
face a huge lack of opportunity on television, in agency representation,
writers’ rooms and live shows. Sometimes when a woman goes on stage, you can
almost feel the “oh great; a woman” attitude from the audience. Then she
has to prove herself doubly: as a comic and as a female comic.
·
Misogyny: It’s hard being a woman and following male comics on stage who: do
fifteen minutes of rape
jokes (and not the insightful ones); talk about how women are all
bitches or whores; use their entire set to dis “ugly girls” and “fat
chicks.” The maleness of comedy (particularly at open mics, in my opinion) can
discourage women from starting or continuing comedy. I have heard it described
by more than one female comic as “soul stealing.” Women have to work twice as
hard to earn respect from our peers, audiences, and many factions of the comedy
community.
I am in no way implying that women don’t make
jokes about men. We do, and many of them are harsh, unfair
generalizations. I believe you typically make jokes about who you date or mate.
But, with so few women in comedy per male comic, men don’t have to listen to as
many jokes about themselves as women do. They can feel safe in the sheer
numbers of men vs women, especially at an open mic, putting them in a power
position. I am also not saying that being a female comic is one big rape
waiting to happen, or that most male comics, club owners, staff, industry
gatekeepers, agents and audience are jerks. Most people in the comedy business
are friendly and accepting. But, like in the real world, these are things
you must be aware exist so that you can prepare yourself and get tough. Be
smart, aware and safe. But, most of all, grow a thick skin and brace yourself
for a rough business.
We often think of male comics when naming our
biggest influences or favorites in comedy. There are tons of male comic role
models (for me, as well). Women also have so many positive role models in comedy
and those names should not be forgotten: Lily Tomlin, Phyllis Diller, Moms
Mabley, Elaine May, Anne Meara, Gracie Allen,
Mae West, Rusty Warren, Roseanne, Elayne Boosler, Wendy Liebman, Judy Tenuta, Lizz
Winstead, Sandra Bernhard, Janeane Garofalo, Maria
Bamford, Sarah Silverman, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler
Moore, Betty White, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ellen DeGeneres, Carol Leifer,
Caroline Rhea, Ruth Buzzi, Margaret Cho, Brett Butler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Griffin, LaWanda Page, Laura Kightlinger, Cloris Leachman,
Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Kristen Wiig, Bea
Arthur, Minnie Pearl, Madeline Kahn, Thelma Todd, Jackie Kashian, Amy Schumer,
Sally Mullins, Kelly Carlin, Rain Pryor, Jane Lynch, Melissa McCarthy, Paula
Poundstone, Rita Rudner, Margaret Dumont, Nikki Glaser, April Macie, Jane Curtin,
Goldie Hawn, Diane Ford, Kathleen Madigan, Julia Sweeney, Tig Notaro, Rosie
O’Donnell, ZaSu Pitts, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Laurie Kilmartin, Tracey
Ullman, Kristen Schaal,
Emily Heller, Wanda Sykes, Susie Essman, Merrill
Markoe, Gina Yashere, Cristela Alonzo, Morgan Murphy, Garfunkel and Oates, Beth
Lapides, Samantha Bee, Chelsea Handler, Fortune Feimster, Anne Beatts, Lena
Dunham, Eudora Welty, Julie Klausner, Aisha Tyler, Sara Benincasa, Jen Kober ,
Katie Halper, Mindy Kaling, Rachel Feinstein, Erin Foley, Michelle
Biloon, Jena Friedman, Jen Kirkman, Jessie Klein, Chelsea Peretti,
Kelly Oxford, Jenny Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Sara Schaefer, Amy Sedaris, Maysoon
Zayid, Janine Brito, Kim Coles, Aparna Nancherla, Christina
Pazsitsky, Jessica Kirson…. I could go on and on. This list is far from
complete and is not intended to be. You are likely thinking of someone I left
off right now. Good.
I include this list because it is important to
me to encourage women to go into comedy and stay in it, despite the challenges.
Comedy needs both male and female voices. We need the balance,
the yin and the yang. I don’t want fewer men
to do comedy. I want more women to. Women are 51% of humans, but only about 25%
of the voices in comedy. When people are saying that women are not funny and
not giving us opportunities in and out
of comedy, when they are
discounting the experiences and reactions of rape victims,
when women continue to get paid less than men for the same job, when laws are
being passed stripping women of rights to our own bodies, when harassment and
violence against women happen in large numbers each year and are swept under
the rug, when countries around the world oppress women and misogyny reigns –
the voice of women on the microphone (and behind the scenes) becomes more and
more essential. The more they tell us to shut up and sit down, the more we
should stand up and shout. Pick up a pen. Pick up a mic. Your voice matters.
Use it.
