Tits and Giggles: In Defence of Funny Women

By Louise Maynard

When it comes to gals who make us giggle, Britain boasts the likes of Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and Catherine Tate.

America has a proud tradition of comical dames, from Mae West and Lucille Ball to Jeanne Garofalo and Tina Fey.

Canada has Avril Lavigne; she’s considered a joke.

In Australia, Magda Szubanski, Fiona O’ Loughlin, Kitty Flanagan, Hannah Gadsby, Gina Riley and Jane Turner are just some of the jewels in our comedy crown.

As for Adelaide? Well, this year’s Fringe showcased a huge amount of home-grown Aussie female comedians, such as Claire Hooper, Felicity Ward and Judith Lucy. Looking at the BankSA Fringe Awards, we can find – uh, oh. Ouch. While it’s fantastic that the riotously rude ladies of EastEnd Cabaret won first prize, they’re Brits. Australian female comedians won nothing.

Of course, there’s no shortage of funny women here. Cabaret, which often features witty wordplay and risqué burlesque, had 31 female-starring acts at this year’s Fringe. And even though men still dominate the stand-up arena, the ladies hold their own with 30 comediennes on 2012’s bill. So why does the idea that ‘women just aren’t that funny’ still persist?

In 2007, Christopher Hitchens argued in Vanity Fair that women simply aren’t as amusing as men, in an article imaginatively titled ‘Why Women Aren’t Funny’.

Hitchens said women are slower to understand punchlines, based on a single study where ten women had to rate the humour level of a newspaper strip. Not only are we “backwards” at generating comedy, but Hitchens also theorises that women are lazy, relying on their looks to make them appealing to men. Most comediennes are thus “hefty or dykey or Jewish, or a combo of all three”.

I polled ten of my straight male friends. In the top five qualities they look for in a woman, all of them mentioned a sense of humour. So there. If a single study of ten people is considered ‘solid evidence’ in your article, Hitch, it’s evidence enough for mine. Sadly, he’s not the only one. Eddie Brill, the man who used to book comedians on The Late Show with David Letterman, recently went on the record saying that he was averse to hiring female comedians because he thought they weren’t “authentic”.

Human-turd hybrid Jerry Lewis, in a 1998 show, said not only did he not find any female comedians funny, but a woman was nothing more than “a producing machine that brings babies into [sic] the world”.

Ohoho, Jerry, stop. I think I just pissed myself

But, just as having balls doesn’t automatically make you a gut-buster, having a uterus doesn’t specifically mean that you’re gonna be a hoot.

Demi Lardner, well-known Adelaide comedienne (who has been performing stand-up for 1,051,742 minutes and 53 seconds), thinks that comedians who specifically place emphasis on their gender aren’t doing themselves any favours:

“I think it’s fine if comics want to refer to their gender for a gag, but if it doesn’t work towards a point, or it has to do with them essentially complaining that they aren’t given a fair go because of it, it’s basically not funny…If you’re going to put on a comedy night, book whoever is funny, and give a good show.

“If you’re a lady-human” and people aren’t booking you for regular gigs, it’s not because of your gender. You’re probably just not being funny, or haven’t worked out your angle or maybe you’re a douchebag. You need to be genuinely entertaining. And end your bits with ‘Waka waka’,” Demi said.

Short of dismantling your vagina before you go on stage and then re-assembling it later, Lardner has this sage advice for women who wish to pursue a career in comedy: “Do it if you’re funny. It works better.” And seeing as you can’t turn on the TV (New Girl), see a movie (Bridesmaids) or go to a comedy club without being tickled pink by a funny gal, looks like the joke’s on you, Christopher Sh… *cough* Hitchens. Waka waka.