Finally, in this month's Vanity Fair, Alessandra Stanley strikes back at Christopher Hitchen's infamous essay, "Why Women Aren't Funny".
In January of last year, the hilariously cantankerous Hitchens wrote, "women do not find their own physical decay and absurdity to be so riotously amusing, which is why we admire Lucille Ball and Helen Fielding, who do see the funny side of it. But this is so rare as to be like Dr. Johnson's comparison of a woman preaching to a dog walking on its hind legs: the surprise is that it is done at all."
Stanley's retort, "Who Says Women Aren't Funny?" is a very interesting article, and she mentions American comedians Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman, who I love, among many others.
I know the focus is on American television and film, but I still think that she could have done with a few British examples, considering that Hitch ens focused on Fielding. I'm thinking of Catherine Tate, French and Saunders, and especially the sublime Ashley Jensen, who has made the transition from Extras to becoming a US TV star in Ugly Betty.
Watch the cringe-inducing moment from Extras when Clive Owen wanted to fling faeces in her face during a scene where she played a prostitute because he said he could "do better" than her. I defy anyone to say that this is a woman who can't laugh at herself.
Well, anyway, there's more to life than trying to be a better comedianne.
Posted by: ellie | Friday, 07 March 2008 at 02:53 PM
Women are lovely which is why they're not really cut out to be public performing comedians.
In private women can be very amusing and funny though.
Posted by: Not Nice to laugh at Women | Friday, 07 March 2008 at 09:22 PM