Women Cannot be Funny?

Women can’t be funny? Or have you not come across enough “women comedians”. ‘Oh my god, It’s a woman.’ Why are people associating the talent or the skill of comedy with a particular gender? ‘How does it feel like being a female stand-up comic? Well, no different than being treated like an alien. Why is there gender objectification every time a female wants to become something other than a homemaker? The long-standing cultural ideology of gender roles puts restrictions has disrupted the lives of women. It is always the women who adjust their dreams according to the men in life.

The ultimate goal which ironically, every family has set for their daughter is to get married, have children, and take care of their husband. However, many women have come up to change this mindset. In the contemporary world where there are many comedians who are female, they do not get the opportunity of a ‘solo’ special. There are many shows where they performed a series of events together. But you can see for yourself, when was the last time when you see a female performing a comedy special on Netflix, perhaps? On another note, comedy provides a platform for women to sarcastically present the societal norms that they stuck in.

Fanny Brice, Moms Mabley, Lucielle Ball are some of the first stand-up comedians, paving way for the ‘funny girls’ generation. There are many others with different journeys but still similar. Initially, they did not get enough support to enter the industry. They were told it is not really a ‘women’ thing. Seriously? Even though, the examples of American comedians who started in 1891. Otherwise, in other countries, women did not get the opportunity so early. It is not only about the country, but also about certain religions, or ethnic groups where women are not allowed to do certain activities.

Stereotypes in Comedy Industry

First of all, why is there a different category for female comics? People have not generalized the fact that there is no need for “women comedians”. Just ‘comedians’ is also enough. People feel that women cannot be a part of the comedy industry and hence differentiate them. However, this differentiation is what makes all the difference. According to a study held in 2019, 63 percent of men on average were funnier than women. This is a skill that differs from person to person irrespective of gender. After this, Maddy Bye said, “I don’t know why they’re trying to make it a scientific fact that women are not funny.”

Every time a female comedian enters a stage, she has to be twice as funny as men to prove herself. Women part of pop culture are thought of as crossing lines and are called for having a bad mouth. A little bit of heckling is fine, but criticism based on gender is not acceptable. They even get rape threats, let alone the high degree of trolling.

In other words, women are expected to not be in such a situation where they would be objectified rather than asking the “heckler” to stop the harassment. Comedians like Aditi Mittal and several others are trolled and body shamed. Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham receive negative comments for the way they look while they do stand-ups and how unfit they are for this pop culture. The narrow standards of beauty are always related to female comics only. Moreover, they are made conscious of the way they carry them, view and value themselves.

Some Famous Comedians

Although, in contemporary times, the percentage of female comics has been increasing. However, in 2014 the comedy club ‘Carolines’ in New York came up with the statistic that it presented about 20 percent, female performers, as compared to 80 percent males. Take a glimpse at some of the successful “women comedians” and the shows featuring them. Women can be funny too, it is no joke!

Chelsa Peretti

‘Do you think it’s worse to wear a fedora or kill 15 people?’ Check out her Netflix special for reference. Chelsa Peretti is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She has featured some amazing shows like ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’. She was on the editorial board for many publications such as The Village Voice, Details, Playgirl, and The Huffington Post.

Amy Schumer

“We all accept too easily that life has to be hard and forget to make sure we have the most fun we can.” Amy Beth Schumer is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has featured shows like the NBC reality competition series Last Comic Standing. Moreover, she was the creator, co-producer, co-writer, and star of the series ‘Inside Amy Schumer’. She receives a ‘Peabody award’ for the same.

She said when she entered stand-up comedy she came across comedians who would mock women for the basic prejudices. However, she joined them in the conversation to look cool and not feel left out. Later on, she realized that it is always they who win as not only dominate the industry but also the ideology and she followed them instead of stating what was right. However, she felt humiliated for doing what she did and was courageous enough to put out her story.

Ellen DeGeneres

“I think people talk too much anyway. Sometimes people are talking to me and in my mind, I’m just like “shut up, shut up, shut up…blah blah blah blah blah. Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She is one of the most popular and loved comedians. Initially, her journey as television was a tough grind. When she started her career she used to perform at clubs and coffee houses. As soon as she got the show, they took away it from her after she revealed that she was a lesbian. However, her fans and her talent did not stop her from getting her show back. She has also written some books ‘Seriously..I’m kidding’ and many more books that are humorous and fun to read. Check out her Netflix special ‘Relatable’!

Check out this comedy special!

Ladies up is an all-female comics show featuring stars Prashasti Singh, Supriya Joshi, Niveditha Prakasam, and Kaneez Surka. In the show, all these Indian comedians come up with some hilarious jokes about their experience as a woman in Indian society. Kaneez talks about the stigmas associated with divorce. The others talk about other prejudices and conjecture about women in society. They express their incidents of harassment as a girl in an explicit manner. Although the issue they talk about is blood boiling and rough, their humor gives them a light tone.

Many other shows and comedy specials of women have focused on highlighting the social issues of society. People condemn women who break the glass ceiling and follow their dreams. They do not get enough support. The comedians in the industry themselves criticize each other and try to overshadow each other. However, healthy competition and elimination of stereotypes associated with certain genders can help to make the industry welcoming for all.

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