Editors’ Letters: “Comedy doesn’t have a gender”

It’s not front page news that women are funny. It was back in the 1950s that Phyllis Diller entered the profession of comedy and proved she was good at it: “the reason women don’t play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public”. In fact, the 50s, 60s and 70s all saw American TV shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show celebrating a comical, career-minded woman as their protagonist.

And yet the world of televised comedy, whether it’s stand-up, Mock the Week, SNL or side-splitting sitcoms, seems to be a male-dominated sphere. Or at least it’s perceived to be. In recent years however, it appears there’s been a bit of a resurgence in female comedy. Suddenly hilarious women are all over our TV sets, from the likes of Tina Fey to Miranda Hart, and new sitcom goddesses Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling. It’s a refreshing change, yes. But it’s also about bloody time.

Currently, I am addicted to two TV shows: Girls and The Mindy Project. Both centre on 20/30year old females who are struggling to juggle both the professional and romantic challenges that life has to offer. Both are set in New York City. And both display that these two women, who by the way are unconventionally attractive, frequently embarrassing, occasionally insecure, but ultimately realistic role models, are hilariously funny.

They serve as a reminder to laugh at yourself, to flail about on your bedroom floor in despair and dwindling romantic prospects and to stuff large amounts of food in your face whilst doing so. But their imperfections make them infinitely more likeable.

And whilst I support the media attention and positive reviews both shows have garnered, it will also be a welcome day when female humour is not treated with reactions of astonishment. As if it’s utterly surprising that women can do slapstick, make penis jokes and outwit and outsmart their male counterparts in the comedy arena. When a male comedian takes to the stage, people are expecting to be tickled senseless, whilst women are always having to prove that the same expectation for them is necessary.

Personally, I think men perceive funny women to be threatening. It’s a sign of intelligence, confidence and the ability to make someone laugh is, in a sense the ability to make someone temporarily lose control.

Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling, with their provocative, modernised and pop-culture reference fuelled shows prove that women can make people laugh but unlike Ron Burgundy, we’re not about to make a big deal out of it.