Women Aren’t Funny
Who is the first person you think of when I say “think of a comedian?” Most people respond with Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappell, John Mulaney, or Shane Gills. Notice a theme here? All men. What about Nikki Glaser? Lucielle Ball? Amy Poehler? Tina Fey? Ali Wong? Taylor Tomlinson? All of these women have comedy specials too. They have hosted award shows, been on podcasts and late night shows, and performed in front of many, many audiences. So why do they get minimal attention compared to the men?
“Women aren’t funny” is what men say when they realize they could never be as funny as us. The misogyny is absolutely insane. A 2007 Vanity Fair article written by Christopher Hitchens discussed why men are supposedly funnier than women, saying, “The chief task in life that a man has to perform is that of impressing the opposite sex, and Mother Nature (as we laughingly call her) is not so kind to men…Women have no corresponding need to appeal to men in this way. They already appeal to men, if you catch my drift.” Sorry, Christopher Hitchens, are you well in the head? I live with 6 other girls, all of whom make me laugh harder than any man ever has. Now, I am not trying to pull a Christopher Hitchens and say that men just aren’t as funny as women - that would be hypocritical. But I am also not going to sit back and let male comedians get all of the glory.
I don’t think any man in Tom Brady’s roast was nearly as brilliant as Nikki Glaser. She had the delivery, the oomph, and the DRESS. No male comedian could have delivered a line about Gisele without getting absolutely destroyed by Patriot fans. Nikki knew she could do it because she knows, from a woman’s perspective, what Gisele went through when Brady ultimately chose football instead of her.
In his article, “Why Women Aren’t Funny,” Hitchens states, “There are more terrible female comedians than there are terrible male comedians.” I would love for him to listen to Matt Rife. They would really get along! Comedy is completely individual. Some people will find things hilarious while others won’t crack a smile. Who is Hitchens to make such a sweeping assessment? Has he listened to every single comedy special on Netflix? No, wait, I got it. He has traveled the world watching live shows of all comedians ever - duh!
His article sent me into a pit of rage thanks to the consistent comments about how women are only good for bearing children and helping men stay “childish,” which Hitchens said is the kind of humor that men like best. He ended his article talking about how his wife told him that “women get funnier as they get older,” to which he replied, “excuse me, isn’t that rather a long time to have to wait?” I bet he thought he was funny writing that.
I want to clarify that I don’t think women are funnier than men. And I don’t think men are funnier than women. That’s not what this is about. This is about the societal norm that women can’t be funny like men can. This is about how, in the world’s political state, I feel like every day I learn about something new that has been taken away from women. Whether it’s school, the choice of an abortion, or even what clothes we are allowed to wear, I become more and more worried that The Handmaid’s Tale is about to become my reality. I am worried that my freedom to step up for women - or even stand on a stage - will be taken away. But I will always follow my girl, Nikki, who taught me to put on a hot sparkly dress, stand up, and say it how it is.
Sources:
Hitchens, Christopher. “Why Women Aren’t Funny.” Vanity Fair, 1 Jan. 2007, www.vanityfair.com/culture/2007/01/hitchens200701?srsltid=AfmBOooVcaaMKKkzXStVLvpDwEviGKRROEh12A_2Z0DVmFr-Q1-B2bH_.