Why are there no funny female comedians?

[awmperry]

You could have also had Donna Mcphail, Chloe Annette, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Gina Yashere, Hattie Jaques, Sandi Toksvig, Ruby Wax, Tracey Ullman, Josie Lawrence, Joan Sims, Pauline Quirke, Dawn French, Joanna Lumley, Julia Salwallhala(?), Sue Perkins, Mel Gedroyc, Carol Cleveland, Lorraine Chase, Lucille Ball, Diane Keaton, Lesley Joseph, Dame Edna Ever...ok, maybe not, Goldie Hawn, Kathy Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne Barr, Helen Atkinson-Wood, Miranda Richardson, Jennifer Saunders, Linda Smith, Caroline Aherne (The Royle Family?), Arabella Weir, Pamela Stephenson, Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan, Sally Phillips, Jane Horrocks, Rhona Cameron, Josie Long, Pam Ayres, Barbara Windsor, Diana Dors, Jan Ravens...

Yeah, there are a few very funny ones in there; Sandi Toksvig, Joanna Lumley, Sue Perkins, Helen Atkinson-Wood, Miranda Richardson, Jennifer Saunders and Jan Ravens in particular. Doon Mackichan, Meera Syal and Ruby Wax all have their moments too.

I'd add a couple to the list, too; Ronni Ancona and Jessica Stephenson, for instance.

I have trouble with Linda Smith, though. British comedy relies on ripping a light-hearted sort of mickey out of things, but with Linda Smith there was always a rather unpleasant streak of malice running through her jokes. I can't explain it much better than that, but still...

I find Gina Yashere rather dull, too. I've only ever seen her on Mock The Week, but every joke seems to revolve around being Nigerian or banging on about race. As far as I'm concerned, people are people are people, so it annoys me when people do their best to reinforce arbitrary racial boundaries - particularly since "race" is an artificial and rather silly construct anyway.


EDIT: Just found these comments by Ronni Ancona on the subject:

Ancona has spoken out before about comedy being a bit of a boys' club; does she still feel that? 'It's much less than it was,' she says, 'but when men are together in a comedy context, they do get quite clubby.' She groans. 'I'm going to be hanged for saying this but in my experience it's still very much a male domain. And I suppose you can see how it happened. When men were coming up with the brilliant comic greats at the turn of the last century, women were being tied to railway tracks and not being allowed into medical school, and all that. So, like with any field, there's been a lot of catching up to do. And God bless the women who did it for us, Phyllis Diller, Lucille Ball, French and Saunders, Victoria Wood, anybody who contributed. But I think there's still this thing where people regard men as funnier. Other comedy females will tell you the same thing. Certainly, when I bump into people like Arabella Weir, we all have a tale to tell.'

(http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1376637,00.html)

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

Okay, the next person that says 'Eddie Izzard' is going to force me to invent the erstwhile device-for-stabbing-people-in-the-face-over-the-internet...

Eddie Izzard is:

1)Rabidly Heterosexual
2)A Transvestite
3)Weakly Transgendered

Eddie Izzard is not:

1)Female
2)Gender Dysphoric

Yes, he may have described himself as "a lesbian trapped in a man's body" but we like to call that sort of humour 'irony' here in the UK...

Sorry, it's just I have friends that are strongly transgendered and friends that are simply not fully cisgendered and I know for a fact that the second set hate to be mistaken for the former set and assumed to be gender dysphoric. It would be like me telling everyone somebody was gay because I saw him hug a man.

Yes, and the comments about him being a lady were a joke as well.
Also, which of those falls under the category of metro sexual?

 

[James Raynor]

OK to be honest there are a few, like Wanda Sykes, but very few. It seems men dominate the comedy world why is this?

Few females are cynical, pessemistic, and funny enough for the job.

 

[Convenient_Label]

Yes, and the comments about him being a lady were a joke as well.
Also, which of those falls under the category of metro sexual?

I know they were a joke, but that sort of comment invariably upsets friends of mine when it's made about them, so it bothers me to see it being applied to somebody who can't answer back.

I'm pretty sure none of them apply to the definition of metrosexual as we use it in the UK, but Eddie Izzard does at least look like a metrosexual. A metrosexual is somebody reportedly single (which applies) who pays considerable attention to personal grooming and outfitting (which, admittedly, Eddie Izzard usually does regardless of style at the time), has a high disposable income (yup), is emotionally inaccessible (nope), image obsessed (well, okay) and insecure in their identity to the point where they prefer to accept the identity that GQ suggests they ought ot have (nah, he prefers to loudly declare, 'fuck you, it's a nice dress').

 

[Sycker]

Because most women will willingly watch a male comedian, but some men are too stubborn to enjoy a female's comedy. ...well thats 1 theory at least.

That's a crap theory.

I believe it's more to do with what people can relate to.

Most people who view comedy i would say are male and so unless a crowd of exceptionally gay men went and saw a female comedian, how could they the relate to a malfunctioning dildo, etc.?

 

[Mr. Purple]

Because most women will willingly watch a male comedian, but some men are too stubborn to enjoy a female's comedy. ...well thats 1 theory at least.

That's a crap theory.

I believe it's more to do with what people can relate to.

Most people who view comedy i would say are male and so unless a crowd of exceptionally gay men went and saw a female comedian, how could they the relate to a malfunctioning dildo, etc.?

Well, thats more along the lines of being well informed and is probably a part of the comedy...i dont think the comedian expected evry1 to hav had this experience.
And u think its a crappy theory y? U just shot down my theory with no reason...its true. At least pertaining to the people I know...

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Eliza Slechinger is pretty funny

 

[Apocalypse Tank]

chicks nowdays only crack the occasional "OMG LAWL LOOK I fell on my butt, thats so funny" kind of joke.

 

[Zac_Dai]

I have no idea about North American comedy but there is plenty of female comedians in the UK and most of them I personally find funny.

 

[Uncompetative]

Sarah Silverman.

 

[Railu]

Margaret Cho. Hilarious.

As to why there are few female comedians? I've only been to a comedy club once, but the lone female comedian didn't get much response. The jokes she made were largely things that only relate to women. The more successful female comedians can reach a broad audience.

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

I did think of one more Female comedian I like, Paula Poundstone, I don't see her too often and maybe that's part of it because sometimes when you see a comedian too much you get used to their style and don't find them funny anymore unless they are very flexible and keep changing their routine.

 

[Fingolfin High-King of the Noldor]

I see a couple of good female comedians but they are still greatly outnumbered by the men. And the guys are usually funnier anyway.

 

[Mr0llivand3r]

because listening to a woman complain about vaginas isn't funny, it's obnoxious

 

[asinann]

For me it's the voices, most i've heard sound like bitter feminist.

That's because most of them ARE bitter feminists.

A few of them are funny, the ones that don't spend their entire set saying how men are scum and women are perfect are sometimes funny.

The feminazis are just using their "comedy" to push their anti-male agenda.

 

[Mr0llivand3r]

For me it's the voices, most i've heard sound like bitter feminist.

That's because most of them ARE bitter feminists.

A few of them are funny, the ones that don't spend their entire set saying how men are scum and women are perfect are sometimes funny.

The feminazis are just using their "comedy" to push their anti-male agenda.

too fucking true

you'd never hear a man saying anything even remotely anti-female, otherwise ever single female who works for comedy central would come down on them saying it's offensive and a reflection of males constantly imposing bigotry.

fucking hypocrits.
(great use of "feminazi" by the way. i've been using that word for a while)

 

[lwm3398]

probably been said,but Ellan Degenerous is okay. Kathy Griffon is probably the best female comic out there.

 

[Peach_hat]

OK to be honest there are a few, like Wanda Sykes, but very few. It seems men dominate the comedy world why is this?

Kal Wilson.
New Zealander.
Check her out.

Although I completely agree with you generally.
WE GET IT, YOU BLEED ONCE A MONTH!

 

[Skeleon]

The female comedians I know tend to be overly loud or vulgar.
I don't really know why, but they don't seem to have the witty, sarcastic jokes many male comedians come up with.
I can't really come up with an explanation.
Perhaps they try to get by on shock-laughs or they don't have any good writers. But why?! Dunno.