Women Can Be Funny, Witty And Comedic. Don’t Let Men Tell You Otherwise.

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Well, I’ve found one aspect of this whole “feminism” phenomenon that I like a whole lot better than “let’s all have as much casual sex as guys.” Women are becoming increasingly more prominent in today’s comedic entertainment. That’s right. Previously it seemed as if women were encouraged to fit the stereotype of pretty and dim. Women were labelled as “unfunny.” This has been said to come down to the fact that men need to impress women. Men need to make women laugh in the courting process, whereas women basically need to stand there and respond accordingly in order to facilitate the “wooing” process. You know? Like when we all wore corsets.

Still, there have been many times when a glee-faced friend has skipped towards me in a coffee shop with news that was no doubt gonna sort me out. “Oh my God, I have the best guy for you,” she’d say, as I tried with all my might to conjure up the immense enthusiasm needed to match hers. And before I got my “What I Need in a Guy” checklist out of my back pocket, I’d recite the concession most important to me, as I knew it off by heart: “Is he funny?”

Unfortunately, my idea of funny is not toilet humour or slapstick, as would be the official interpretation of the humour used by a lot of men these days. I prefer medium to well done sophisticated, subtle humour, with a pinch of sarcasm, mixed together with some satirical or witty observations, seasoned. Somehow this is too much to ask from the average modern man, who would much prefer to shower me with impressions of how their mate Steve got pissed last Friday and pissed all over Ben who was so pissed that he’d pissed the bed while being pissed on.

Forgive my lack of hysterics.

Then again, I have come across the occasional man who can hold a colourful conversation. However, a lot of the time, because of the rarity of this, his face is saturated with pride at how clever he is. So when, for instance, I come back with a smooth and witty remark, he stares at me in a stupor, as if he’s been slapped in the face. Well, I suppose a lot of girls are pretty dim in reality, or at least, they’d rather just giggle along and not contribute to the hilarity. For some reason.

The Way We Were

Up until recently we women were accustomed to this. We left humour to the experts of everything: men. We sat around with our chins in our hands, hanging off every word. Men really were laughing back then. Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Tom and Jerry, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde ruled the days of every kind of humour, and damn, were they funny. A little later on, however, we started to see a little pink in the blue. Dawn French began, alongside Jennifer Saunders, and female characters began positioning themselves at the butt of jokes in sitcoms such as “Friends”. However, it was still rare that you’d find attractive females creating organic and relatable comedy themselves. You know? The ones that didn’t have a whole team drafting their every line.

The Way We Are

I’m happy to say things have changed. Hell, I really am. Nowadays, we have Jennifer Lawrence, and thank fuck for her. She’s gorgeous, talented, and not afraid to be honest and self-depreciating, two qualities severely lacking in women only a few years ago. Similarly, there’s Emma Stone, who reminds us that hot girls can still manage to hold their own when cast alongside Jonah Hill. Then of course, there’s Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who managed to do a better job of hosting the Golden Globes than Ricky Gervais (although I did watch re-runs of Ricky’s version for a week straight). Further, there’s Kristen Wiig, whose “Saturday Night Live” impressions almost outshine Aubrey Plaza’s genius deadpan character in “Parks and Recreation”.

Where You Should Be

Yeah, so keep in mind that women should never be afraid to challenge men in the area of comedy as well as everything else. Real guys appreciate real girls who are entertaining, clever and challenging. You’ve all seen the Roadhouse London video “Girls Who Read”.

So, be the girl with the wit, the passion and the dreams. Of course, there’s always going to be pricks like Robin Thicke who propagate the notion that women are more naturally equipped to contribute tits and ass more than anything else. But let’s face it, those pricks can go to hell.

So, girls, for the love of God, if you’ve got something interesting to say, I implore you to say it, even if you get the awestruck expression I receive from a lot of men. Audacious, cut-throat honesty and lighthearted self-depreciation will make you a better person if it comes from the heart. So, think about what the women above have achieved from saying what they feel and not being afraid, and look who’s laughing now.

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