Although at this period in history we see a number of influential comedic women through SNL and various TV shows, there has always been a deficiency of female stand-up comedians. There are a handful of pioneer women in comedy that have paved the road like Ellen Degeneres, Wanda Sykes, Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin and more recently, Amy Schumer. But there some insanely talented women comics who are sliding way too far under the radar.
Ali Wong, Iliza Shlesinger, Jen Kirkman, Kate McKinnon and so many more women are poignantly articulating female humor. All of these women are breaking the social barriers of a male dominated career field. By using comedy as their medium, they have created a female platform for addressing serious social issues. By creating humor in many circumstances deemed unfeminine, they push the boundaries of gender and help us to reconsider what those constraints mean and do. The fact is, comedy only works when there is truth to the joke. So now, as opposed to vulgar jokes told only by men, these women are bringing a fresh perspective to the world of comedy. These comedians are bulldozing classic concepts of the ‘lady-like’ identity by emphasizing the realistic experiences and flipping a huge bird at our polite, leg-crossed days.
These comedians are living proof that femininity is now an expansive definition, incorporating many characteristics that are much more edgy, raw and most importantly, honest. Through their comedy they prove that female success does not have to come from a perfectly coiffed and polished presentation. Their long-hair-don’t-care attitude resonates well with their audiences and paints a picture of femininity in a new light. Their perspectives and strength of character relieve tension associated with gender. As strong, outspoken women they are creating a new face for what we have previously thought stand-up was, or could be, which changes the entire game. So grab some popcorn, a fuzzy blanket, and someone to snuggle with while watching these amazing women perform on Netflix. Seriously, you won’t regret it.