The Feminist Critique Of Stand-Up Comedy

“There is still, for example, a widespread unease about women using obscene language, and about men using it in women’s presence. Women who take up the role of public orator, priest, or even the less exalted role of stand-up comic will find that, in some quarters at least, this presumption is met with an irrational loathing.” — Deborah Cameron, The Feminist Critique of Language. Stand-up comedy has traditionally been a male-dominated field. There are few female comedians who have been able to achieve both success and fame in the business. As with the rest of the entertainment industry, a pay gap persists between male and female comic entertainers. Last month, Forbes released its list of the world’s highest-paid comedians of 2015, and,

Female comedians are given this label because the audience will then know what to expect from their act; the audience is provided with a warning that the woman they are about to see will be uncensored. On the other hand, male comics have never required this label, though they talk about the same subjects. In the past, it was more acceptable for male comics to be raunchy or vulgar and use foul language than female comics; however, I think that the negative view of female comedians who use foul language is slowly changing. More female comics are becoming popular, and developing a fan base that encourages their work. The comic is then able to speak out against the double standards of the sexist industry with more support from her fans. As Amy Schumer puts it in her HBO stand-up special Live at the Apollo (2015), “I’m labeled a sex comic. Like in interviews, people are always like, ‘So, you keep talking about sex.’ I think it’s just ‘cause I’m a girl. I feel like a guy could get up here and literally pull his d*ck out, and everyone would be like, ‘He’s a

The Untamed Shrews are the comedy duo of Marge Tackes and Susan Smith. The Jukebox billed the duo as their most popular act in the club’s twenty-five years, which was apparent when I walked into the crowded, sold-out venue. I went with a friend who’d seen The Untamed Shrews perform the last seven times they were in Peoria. She’d said that the duo stuck with the same routine throughout the years, but even though she knew the jokes and punch lines, the routine was still relevant and hilarious each time she went back. The show was rated “R” because the two women used obscene language to talk about sex. In their promotional poster, one of the comedians is shown with yellow police tape over her mouth, the word “caution” covers the lower part of her face, and her hands are positioned as if to tear the tape away. I found this poster to be quite symbolic of the sexist comedy industry because it depicts a censored female comic who is eager to strip away the notion that her audience needs to be warned about her