VAGINAL DISCOURSE

Commentaries on women in comedy by endearing young WS 356 A1 student Emma Palmer

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Hello friends and friendly professors. It’s me, Emma Palmer from section A1, your humble narrator and tour guide for today’s Women’s Studies project. I hope your enjoy my commentaries on women in comedy, or at the very least appreciate the amount of effort that went into picking a Tumblr theme.  Signed,  Emma T. Palmer

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Alison Bechdel is a cartoonist and author who has shared her experiences as a marked category for inspiration behind her work. For many years she illustrated and wrote the strip “Dykes to Watch Out For”, and in 1985 she published the installment titled “The Rule”. This strip coined the term “The Bechdel Rule” or “Bechdel Test”, which describes the three criteria a movie should meet: 1) It has to have at least two women in it, who 2) talk to each other about 3) something that isn’t a man.

As we explore the genre of Romantic Comedy in class, I often find myself wondering how many movies featuring comedic female actors or female comedians in general would pass this test. We’ve recently discussed the concept of “Unruly Women”, and how the Unruly Woman in a typical Rom Com is eventually tamped down by marriage. The world of the Romantic Comedy revolves entirely around relationships between the sexes. Although a female actor may be featured in a leading comedic role, we the audience must ask ourselves how she is portraying the realities of female experiences. Do we only hear about her relationship to the male hero? Is she the only woman prominently featured? And do we ever get to see the multiple stories and perspectives that diversify the real world?

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Allie Brosh’s web comic/blog is one of my favorite things on the internet; Brosh uses a combination of absurdist and observational humor which brings the reader into her unique vision of the world. This is my favorite of Brosh’s comics because it insightfully captures her experience with Depression, a disorder that I also struggle with on a day to day basis. Brosh doesn’t use “shock humor” or “charged humor”, but rather tells her story in a more universally relatable way. Her style could be considered “safe” compared to other female humorists, but Brosh is first and foremost a cartoonist and storyteller, delivering jokes through her unique medium of crude and endearing art. 

In a piece about Allie Brosh written for The Globe and Mail, journalist Zosia Bielski included the following: “Some experts, including Jonathan Rottenberg, associate professor of psychology at the University of South Florida, have lauded Hyperbole and a Half as one of the best contemporary portraits of the condition. ‘I know of no better depiction of the guts of what it’s like to be severely depressed: Clutching your blanket, you are born into the baffling, boring, disorienting state that is depression – radically out of phase with the rest of humanity, unable to understand the concerns of other people, nor able to communicate yours to them,’ he wrote of Brosh in Psychology Today”. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/meet-cartoonist-allie-brosh-an-unlikely-poster-girl-for-depression/article15190616/)

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Actor Amani Starnes has used Youtube as a platform to produce her own comedic web series. She and her friend, actor Azie Mira Dungey (whose web series is also included in this blog), have seized the accessibility of social media platforms and used it to create comedy relating to the experiences of black women and other oppressed groups.

This video articulates a situation that many black actors have had to endure. Blackface is a concept that hasn’t only been used by white people performing racist imitations; Many black entertainers in the early 20th century were made to color their skin darker using burnt cork for minstrel acts. Although the issue of blackface isn’t typical nowadays, there are still instances in Hollywood and theatre in which black actors must struggle against close-minded artistic visions of white directors (see Joe Morton’s interview with the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/20/scandal-joe-morton-black-enough_n_6194650.html)

Amani Starnes uses satire and charged humor in this video in order to make the viewer feel as uncomfortable as her character. We sympathize with her struggle to stand up to the white male version of history that is represented in mainstream entertainment.

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Lucille Bogan wrote lyrics that could make Sophie Tucker blush. A contemporary of Tucker and Fanny Brice, Bogan also found her start playing the Vaudeville circuit. Before Vaudeville’s death by the end of the 1920’s, performance venues all over America were segregated. Black performers could only perform at “colored” venues; perhaps this is why many black entertainers did not rise to the same mainstream popularity as Tucker and Brice, even though Lucille Bogan was also a comedic songwriter. Bogan was part of the tradition of performing bawdiness through music. She was a powerful blues singer, among the first to ever be recorded. Bogan was part of the era of Vaudevillian women who invented the “bawd” persona, a mode of performance that Joanne Gilbert describes in her book “Performing Marginality” as the symbol of a new aggressiveness found in female sexuality, laying the groundwork for future women comedians to be uninhibited.

Bogan’s lyrics centered around drinking, sex, and prostitution. “Shave ‘em dry” is one of the filthiest, funniest songs I’ve ever heard. She recorded it in 1935.

Lyrics: 

I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb,

I got somethin' between my legs'll make a dead man come,

Oh daddy, baby won't you shave 'em dry?

Now, draw it out!

Want you to grind me baby, grind me until I cry.

Say I fucked all night, and all the night before baby,

And I feel just like I wanna, fuck some more,

Oh great God daddy,

Grind me honey and shave me dry,

And when you hear me holler baby, want you to shave it dry.

I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb,

Daddy you say that's the kind of 'em you want, and you can make 'em come,

Oh, daddy shave me dry,

And I'll give you somethin' baby, swear it'll make you cry.

I'm gon' turn back my mattress, and let you oil my springs,

I want you to grind me daddy, 'til the bell do ring,

Oh daddy, want you to shave 'em dry,

Oh great God daddy, if you can't shave 'em baby won't you try?

Now if fuckin' was the thing, that would take me to heaven,

I'd be fuckin' in the studio, till the clock strike eleven,

Oh daddy, daddy shave 'em dry,

I would fuck you baby, honey I'd make you cry.

Now your nuts hang down like a damn bell sapper,

And your dick stands up like a steeple,

Your goddam ass-hole stands open like a church door,

And the crabs walks in like people.

Ow, shit!

Ooh! Baby, won't you shave 'em dry

A big sow gets fat from eatin' corn,

And a pig gets fat from suckin',

Reason you see this whore, fat like I am,

Great God, I got fat from fuckin'.

Eeeeh! Shave 'em dry

My back is made of whalebone,

And my cock is made of brass,

And my fuckin' is made for workin' men's two dollars,

Great God, round to kiss my ass.

Oh! Whoo, daddy, shave 'em dry

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

A Conversation About Black Women in Comedy That Won't Make You Dumber

Earlier this week, SNL's Kenan Thompson told TV Guide that the lack of black female comedians on the SNL cast is because they're "not ready." A lot of people had Thoughts about/excuses for this, many of which were almost contagiously dumb. Not this.

The topic of whether or not women are capable of humor has continued even into the year 2013, when actor Kenan Thompson stated in an interview with TV Guide that black women haven’t been added to the cast of SNL because they’re simply “not ready” at the time of the audition process. 

In response, actors Amani Starnes and Azie Mira Dungey followed up on Thompson’s comments with this video. They ask an extremely important question: Where exactly are all the black women in comedy? I chose to write about this video because it offers a valuable and humorous discourse on the black female experience in entertainment. Also, to represent African-American actors amongst the Jewish, Caucasian, and Muppet entertainers we have studied so far this semester. 

[osmosis-art]

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

I wish I had known about Mae West when I was in high school. There was a time of my life when I felt totally afraid of embracing sexuality, and yet yearned to explore it. Life at that point was one big Madonna-Whore complex.

So I wish that the 17 year-old Emma had watched a Mae West movie or two. Possibly the most charming woman of the 1930′s, Mae West was an artist who embraced sexuality. She was light years ahead of her time- in fact, I believe her comedic persona is easier to identify with as a young person in the 21st century. West embodied the daring notion that women can have sex without being emotionally attached. Mae West uses her wit and sensuality to prove the point that men aren’t the supreme authorities that they claim to be; The men in the world of West's screenplays are easily manipulated by sex and frequently sidelined by one-liners delivered in her Brooklyn growl. Her hit movie I'm No Angel included a scene in which West's character, the sensual Miss Tira, is looking over her collection of gifts from her various suitors. She matches each necklace and pair of earrings to one of the dozens of portraits of men on her dresser, identifying who gave her that particular jewel. This scene is especially relevant to the dating scene as it is today: When dating and hook ups are just a few clicks or swipes away, empowered women like West have opted to love themselves above everyone else. 

West’s movies were made in what was considered a golden age for romantic comedies. Films of this genre pitted the sexes against one another, and in order to raise the stakes of the dramatic action, men and women were equally matched. Men surrendered to West’s sex appeal, and her brazen sexuality in turn dismantled the Puritan notions of what women were capable of thinking or doing. She altered the audience’s expectations of women, opening the door for future female comics to embrace bawdiness.

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Women have used music as a medium for comedy for over one hundred years. Dating back to Vaudeville and entertainers such as Molly Pican, Sophie Tucker, and Fanny Brice, musical comedy was a popular amusement. I believe in the early 20th century, female comedians used music as a means to perform comedy because they were expected to entertain in a “feminine” way, such as singing and dancing, as opposed to something “masculine”, such as directly taking power over the audience through speech. Since then, history has shown us a wealth of creative and influential female comedians taking command of this form. 

Garfunkel and Oates (Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci) are a comedy folk duo that follow in the comedic song tradition, often writing lyrics relating to everyday female experiences. Frankly, I relate pretty heavily to this song. As a woman I have sometimes felt like I can’t tell a man I’m not interesting without running the risk of being called a bitch. Oftentimes I will just ignore them, or “fade away”, in order to avoid confrontation. Per

Lyrics:

We've been on a bunch of dates I weigh debates that this creates And hate that state of forced introspection We traded wit, we swapped some spit, You fingered me a little bit But we never really had a connection You did nothing wrong, I have no excuse Just my intuition telling me we shouldn't reproduce I know I have to end it But pretend to just suspend it By contending that I'm busy all week I let the foregone linger on Text back with an emoticon Withdraw from you by being oblique Inside I know my tactics just delay it But I'd do anything so I don't have to say it I'll draw this out forever like it's Vietnam Then one day I'll be gone like Bambi's mom Awww Cause there's the right thing to do Then there's what I'm gonna do There's so much I should say But instead... I do the fade away Now I'm fading like chalk on a sidewalk Or the polio virus after Jonas Salk Like a Jewish guy at Arby's on Yom Kippur The Whig party post Millard Fillmore The erection of a man on antidepressants The cast of Diff'rent Strokes after adolescence Reproductive rights below the Mason Dixon Native Americans after the barter systems Your thyroid gland after Hashimoto The family in the Back to the Future photo Yeah I fade away We say that men are asshole who don't communicate We revel in our victimhood and amplify our hate We find ways to be indignant like it's a sport Then dissect their malignance with the views we distort The way men break up may be sloppy and terse What they do is bad, but what we do is worse We pretend to ourselves it's the nice thing to do To let you down gently by just not fucking telling you And deep down we know it's the worst way to play it But we are what we have... huge pussies And women are hypocrites Especially ones in comedy bands We see your faults but not our own Then we wonder why we're all alone We fill you up with maybe's, excuses and stalls But like a baby in China... it's better to have balls Not the Good Wife type like Christine Baranski So I'll pull out and leave like I'm Roman Polanski Cause there's the right thing to do Then there's what I'm gonna do There's so much I should say But instead... I do the fade away Like Verbal Kint fading into Kaiser Soze The rights in Arizona for a guy named Jose Opportunities for a college grad The love between your mom and dad Gonna Peter out like a gay Cetera Iranian relations since the Regan era Black Nike sales after Heaven's Gate Summer Camp attendance at Penn State The name Adolph after World War Two Like Debbie Gibson's pop career, Out of the Blue Yeah I fade away Cause I don't wanna get to know you I just want to blow you... off

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Actor Azie Mira Dungey created a web series based off of her experiences working as a living historical character at George Washington's Mount Vernon, a popular historic site where tourists can interact with actors playing historical figures. Dungey, a woman of color pretending to exist in a time when America enslaved thousands of Africans, was naturally asked a barrage of ignorant questions during her work day. Dungey used real questions asked of her to create a series of satirical videos in which her character answers them with frankness and sass. 

 Dungey’s character is the unruly woman on the inside of every oppressed black female silenced by slavery. Through the character of Lizzie Mae, she is able to mock the “high culture” of a pair of slave owners known as George and Martha Washington. Her persona of obedient servant quickly deteriorates when she is asked a series of questions about serving Martha Washington, which reveal her inner resentments. To me this is the funniest part of the video because Lizzie Mae retains a calm demeanor whilst dishing up witty retorts. This is an example of how the privileged people existing in society’s “unmarked category” can have the veil of ignorance ripped from them when they are given insight into the life of marginalized people through the use of humor. Dungey’s video draws back the curtain of privileged ignorance and reveals to us how disturbing our world really is.

[funnybtches]

Maysoon Zayid on TED Talks. She’s a funny comedian that happens to have cerebral palsy.

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

"My name is Maysoon Zayid, and I am not drunk, but the doctor who delivered me was.”

I discovered Maysoon Zayid through this entertaining TED talk I came across on Tumblr. Zayid invites us to laugh with her as she explains her life as a marked category: “If there was an Oppression Olympics, I would win the gold medal. I’m Palestinian, Muslim, I’m female, I’m disabled, and I live in New Jersey”. Maysoon Zayid uses self-deprecation in a strategic manner by reiterating the features that society has used against her. This returns the power to the marginalized group, and also invites the audience to relate to her experiences through laughter.

Zayid’s version of self-deprecating humor is light compared to that of comedian Joan Rivers, who is famous for her scathing stand-up routines. Zayid makes fun of herself by pointing out how she appears through the eyes of other people. For instance, she delivers this anecdote about learning to walk as a child with Cerebral Palsy: “My father taught me how to walk when I was five years old by placing my heels on his feet and just walking. Another tactic that he used is he would dangle a dollar bill in front of me and have me chase it. My inner stripper was very strong. Yeah. No, by the first day of kindergarten, I was walking like a champ who had been punched one too many times”. Zayid may be teasing herself, but she is doing so in a way that does not revoke her command over the audience

[vaginal-discourse-blog]

Ever Mainard’s stand-up routine exists on a brilliant hinge of sorts; she is voicing a fear experienced by womankind throughout the world but does so in the form of a joke. In the past few years a more public discourse on “rape jokes” has been brewing following Daniel Tosh’s controversial comments towards a female audience member during one of his stand-up routines (which you can read more about in the Jezebel article in which I discovered this video). The differences between Tosh and Mainard’s jokes lay heavily in the types of humor each comic employs. Tosh is a “Shock comic”, meaning he thrives on anti-political correctness and the jarring nature of offensive remarks. This is a predatory form of humor that earns laughs through shock value, the aggressiveness of which is a way to dehumanize or put down the subject that is the butt of his joke. Mainard uses “charged humor”, a form of commentary that is meant to challenge social inequality and cultural exclusion through humorously identifying the unfair cultural attitudes towards marginalized groups.

Tosh’s version of a “rape joke” was done in such a way as to make the victim the butt of the joke. Mainard’s version points to our society as the party to laugh at, not the victim. “As a woman,” says Mainard, “We’re taught, like, ‘NEVER WALK ALONE AT NIGHT! IF YOU WALK ALONE AT NIGHT YOU’RE GONNA DIE! YOU WILL GET RAPED IF YOU’RE WALKING ALONE AT NIGHT! You need a man to survive, unless he’s following you at night- then you will die!’” She goes on to reveal the harsh truth of the matter with the audience: “But, like, the problem is that every woman in her entire life has that one moment where she’s like ‘Oh, here’s my rape! This is it. It’s eleven forty-seven. How old am I? I’m 25? Alright, here’s my raaape!’” What Mainard is doing is unmasking a fear that has crossed the minds of women like myself who exist in a society that is unsafe for us. She is pointing out the fact that so many women are sexually assaulted in a world that often blames the victims, that odds are every one of us will experience some sort of traumatic encounter over the course a lifetime. This is an example of how women’s humor is born out of shared experiences, and by voicing these through jokes we can bond an audience together in understanding the female experience.