No, I don't have bladder issues! I just read this piece written by a woman named Wendy Molyneux in response to an article on a website that asked for women to write more comedy pieces.
Actually...the best thing I have ever read.
Why IS it that people think women are not funny?! It boggles my mind because A) I think I am fricken hilarious, B) I know many MANY hilarious ladies, C) Every time any group of ladies gets together they spend most of the time laughing and D) WHAT THE FUCK
Yes there are indeed female comedians but...now that I think about it...most of them are labelled as lesbians, feminists, butch dykes, or unattractive. And most of their material revolves around giving birth, tampons and periods, finding a husband, and the like. I was watching the comedy network a couple of months ago and they were having some sort of contest or whatever and there was only one female comedian to take the stage. I was excited to watch her schtick and was secretly chanting in my head: "Don't do it. Don't talk about your period or the last blind date you had." She started out great! She wasn't talking about womanly issues or anything. But slowly, veeeery slowly....that is where her routine headed. I don't know why but I was so disappointed. While I get that you have a vagina and that you can very much relate to female issues because you have a vagina...why does that always have to be at the centre of a female comedians' stand-up routine? Why can't she talk about sports without mentioning that guys think she's a lesbian because she loves football or about working in a male-dominated workplace but not having to flirt her way to the top? WHY? These issues aren't funny...they are just giving men more reasons to not take us seriously and to laugh us off.
.....just like how a lot of ethnic or "non white" comedians focus on race and make fun of themselves or their culture. Or "fat" comedians only make fun of their weight - which in turn makes these issues into a light-hearted joke.
I totally get that whole "If you can't laugh at yourself..." shit but I mean....is it doing more bad than good?
And for fuck's sake - WOMEN CAN BE FUNNY. Wendy does an amazing job at blatantly pointing out all of the female stereotypes that we face all the freakin time. She is using what she knows from her experience of being a woman but not in a way that will make men turn around and laugh in our faces. She makes them feel like the joke.
P.S my favourite parts included:
"My cats love to be symbols of my loneliness. Sometimes, I have to be like, “Stop signifying so loudly guys, I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy!”"
"But I guess my humor deficiency is one of those womanly crosses I have to bear, along with P.M.S., making seventy cents on the dollar, and paying for my own rape kit. You know what they say though, you can’t make the willing pay for their own rape kits! I think they say that. Probably somebody said that. God knows I didn’t say it myself! I only say things like: “What are numbers?”"
and
"I’ve totally run out of time, and now instead of writing a comedy piece, I have to go report to my regular day job knitting tampon cozies and being best friends with everybody."
Hi.Lar.Ious.
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