When we read about the early public readers, I asked what made "reader" an acceptable profession for a "lady". After reading the Gilbert article I ask, what makes "comedian" an acceptable role for a "feminist"? What does this say about the state of gender-based prejudice in the United States today?
Angry and passion full of comedy that is performed by a woman is viewed as a part of "feminism" in our society. Female comedians make jokes about stereotypical issues to help others see the problems with stereotypes.Unfortunatly the sarcastic humor about the traditional sex roles in the society tends to make people think that female comedians are all feminist. Just because a woman wants to make fun of a gender based bias, she is immediatly seen as a feminist due to her intelligent and brave humor.
Women making statements against the male dominated issues are not accepted by the society. Female comics that pick on dominant male figures are seen as crazy, or out of ordinary because for the longest time, women stayed silent towards domination. Women were not expected to be blunt and point out social stereotypes. Now that there are women perfomers in comedy, society is seeing a different side of stereotypes.
The main idea to female comic performances is to bring attention to stereotypical gender roles by not only entertaining but also capturing attention by pointing out important issues. Humor is effective because it makes us laugh and think about a problem that we might have not considered. It is a great idea to bring light to stereotypes with humor.
We continue to have gender based bias in our lives today. Dominant women are seen as scary and crazy because intelligence is not valued. Looking at the past, we have definitly made progress towards equality. There are still many steps to gender stereotypes but there is a definate improvement. We see more and more strong female figures in talk shows and entertainment to follow everyday.
I remember watching this video on youtube that relates to this topic. I thought it was one of the funniest skits ever! Its about how different men act towards women to get their attention for the first time. Its not only making fun of men in general- but also culture and ethnicity differences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wlsTg2MCHg&NR=1
start it 1.00
Great essay Damla! Comedy is a wonderful format for addressing social issues, it is allows issue to be addressed but also creates a safe space for discussing and making issues light. If we can laugh at ourselves; our bodies, appearances, etc. then we are making specific aspects known without thickening the air. However, in many ways while comedians especially female comedians bring social constraints to the forefront of our minds in a light hearted manner it has its cons as well. While issues become aware to us we may not fully mull them over and address these concerns in our own lives due to the comedic aspects. While female comedians have the ability to create a safe and humoristic space to discuss feminine issues they also counteract the issues on a certain level by making light of the issues themselves.
ReplyDeleteI like it, Damla! I find the attention brought to stereotypical female issues to play an important role in communication. I remember listening to Margaret Cho as a young teenager and finding solice and comfort in her ability to make fun of her unrealistic attempts to lost weight and please men. It made me realize this is an issue most women face and not one I should take too seriously.
ReplyDeleteAs for female comedians facing societal resistance in discussing traditional sex roles, I wonder...if a male comedian was placed in a similar situation (using humor and sarcasm to
discuss repressive gender roles) would he then be labeled a male chauvinist? I can easily imagine a misinterpretation of the issue due to the gender of the performer. While either way a label(in one form or another) seems to follow those brave enough to address gender repression through the performance of satire, I think there may be a bias in place for those attempting it not represented in the female form...
Good points. Good example, but I'd like you to talk more about this example, why you chose it, and what point you feel it makes in the body of your essay. Is this an example of feminist humor? Or is it meant to illustrate that gender-based prejudice has eased to the point that it is possible for female comedians to be accepted as social commentators -- just as men are -- whose gender is immaterial?
ReplyDeleteFantastic essay Damla! Though women have made a lot of progress in the past 100 years, prejudices continue to haunt females. What is interesting to me is that many women believe that there is no need for feminism anymore, because the genders are equal. However, female comedians are a minority in comedy. And if females do gain popularity, they often times have to engage in self-deprecating humor in order to please the masses (which includes women). Even women prefer to see female comedians make fun of themselves, rather than subversively attacking gender bias. Thus, women can perpetuate gender prejudices, just by not recognizing that their own thoughts are negatively affecting the progress of females.
ReplyDeleteGood job Damla. I believe it is interesting that feminism has such a bad rap. I hate it when people refer to feminists in a derogatory way. Most people however do not even realize that a feminist is someone that believes women and men should have equal rights. I wonder where the negative connotation came from. I have a sneaking suspicion that the negative connotation has come from men who are so insecure by strong women.
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