User:Bogertr1/sandbox


 * This page was created and is being edited for a class.*

Article Evaluation: Feminist comedy
Relevance: Everything in the article is relevant to the topic.

Neutrality: The article appears to be neutral. It frames feminist comedy in a positive light without disparaging other forms of comedy, and it highlights prominent feminist comedians without trashing non-feminist ones. Claims against a comedians’ character are backed up with sources, such as a reference to the recent allegations Louis CK has faced.

Representation: I think all of the viewpoints mentioned in the article are underrepresented. The article introduces most of the main points, i.e. gender, sexuality, and race, but each section consists of only one paragraph that very briefly describes its connection to feminist comedy. Each section could be greatly expanded with more information and references.

Existing citations: Each link provided in the reference section works The sources are relevant to claims made in the article and support the argument for the importance of feminist comedy. A few of the references for journals do not have an access link associated with it, but most of them seem properly cited.

Talk/status of article: There are no current conversations happening within the article. There have been no edits since the original creation of the article at the end of last year. The article is C-Class rated as part of a WikiProject of a Digital Feminisms class in Florida.

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Editing plan:
This article is in pretty good shape but it could really use a contemporary update. The sections on gender, queer and race-related humor need to be expanded to properly illustrate the importance of feminist comedy. The history section could also be edited to illustrate the significant work done by comedians and activists rather than only highlighting two or three prominent, popular comedians of the time. The article needs to be edited to correct spelling and grammatical errors as well.

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DRAFT:
Intro: (combined intro and gendering of humor section)

Feminist comedy refers to comedic acts and styles that further feminist principles, including gender equality and awareness of the social experience of gender. Comedy, an umbrella term referring to creative works with the intention of humor, has been historically dominated by men, who frequently reinforce patriarchal values and views. The current comedy culture climate remains male-focused and frequently even dangerous for women comedians. The conversation surrounding gender-aware comedy has included articles and opinions from many male comedians and fans that are rooted in the idea that women aren’t funny, despite protest from successful female comedians and audiences. However, there is a difference between female humor and feminist humor. As a practice, feminist comedy is not solely comedy performed by women, as many women, especially early female comics, “served to reinforce… cultural stereotypes” and patriarchal views about women and gender. While some scholars have argued that this is because feminism may be antithetical to comedy, which is often described as an aggressive, necessarily masculine act in which the performer centers themselves, others have argued that humor’s inclination to subvert hierarchies makes it a particularly effective communication platform for feminist comedians. Feminist comedy frequently references and discusses female-gendered issues and topics such as menstruation, rape, gender inequality, beauty norms, and machismo. Along the lines of intersectionality, which suggests that social identities and systems of oppression are interrelated, many feminist comedians also discuss homophobia, racism, and transphobia.

Add to history section:

Feminist comedy also serves to be a place of refuge and comedic relief for other women. The intention of feminist comedy has evolved to incorporate the idea of comedy being written, "by women, for women" (CITATION, Look who's laughing book).

Queer comedy:

Much of scholarly research and discussion surrounding feminist comedy comes from the historical background of many lesbian comedians. This is likely because lesbian humor subverts the expectations of a male-dominated space by being self-defined (comedy about lesbians by lesbians) and makes women, rather than men, the central focus. Perhaps one of the most widely known queer comedians is Ellen DeGeneres, who made television history when her character on her sitcom, The Ellen Show, came out as lesbian. DeGeneres herself had come out less than a month prior, and this announcement made her the first openly lesbian actor to play an openly lesbian title character (CITATION). A prominent contemporary example of this is the comedy of Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher, a married couple who created the streaming series Take My Wife [Take my wife citation] [Robinson citation]. The show centers on the real life couple and their lives as stand up comedians balancing work, their relationship, and gender barriers [Robinson]. Additionally, the show was lauded along intersectional feminist lines for its diversity and representation in actors. Queer roles are played exclusively by queer actors and comedians, queer women of color shared scenes together, and a trans actress was hired to play a role that was not specifically trans [Robinson].

Section on comedy about motherhood:

Motherhood is a growing topic of conversation in feminist comedy. Female comedians who hold the dual identities of mothers face a unique struggle; they are forced to prove themselves not only as comedians but as relevant in the field after bearing children.

Comedian Ali Wong is transparent about the experience of motherhood in her routines. She talks about the "roller coaster of emotions" involved in becoming a parent, and doesn't hold back in her descriptions of parenting and the challenges women face in proving their value in comparison to men.

Motherhood also holds a unique place in feminist comedy when it comes to societal expectations. Society tends to link womanhood with motherhood, and in doing so, those who do not bear children are often viewed as "deviant". Feminist comedians frequently challenge this expectation.

General:
Look who's laughing: gender and comedy (book)

Merrill, L. (2010) Feminist humor: Rebellious and self‐affirming, Women's Studies, 15:1-3, 271-280, DOI: 10.1080/00497878.1988.9978732

Robertson, P. (1993). "The Kinda Comedy That Imitates Me": Mae West's Identification with the Feminist Camp. Cinema Journal,32(2), 57-72. doi:10.2307/1225605

Comedians:
Margaret Cho:


 * Kim, M. (2017). Q&A: Margaret Cho on comedy, feminism and identity. Ms Magazine. Retrieved from http://msmagazine.com/blog/2017/07/24/qa-margaret-cho-talks-new-tour-feminism-korean-american-identity/

Negin Farsad:


 * NPR.org. (2017). Negin Farsad: Can humor fight prejudice? TED Radio Hour. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=520942852

Leslie Jones:


 * Itzkoff, D. (2017). In a stand-up act, Leslie Jones finds the humor in being hacked. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/arts/television/leslie-jones-stand-up.html


 * Marantz, A. (2016). Ready for prime time. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/01/04/ready-for-prime-time

Gina Yashere:


 * Mahdawi, A. (2017). The Daily Show’s Gina Yashere. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jun/11/the-daily-show-gina-yashere-in-england-id-still-be-the-token-black-face-on-mock-the-week

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Peer reviews:
Peer Edit: Hello! I agree with most of your edits. One issue I had with this page that it seems that your going to address is the inclusion of women of color as an "other." Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Amy Schumer are all included just as feminist comedians, but Leslie Jones is only added as a comedian of color. Additionally, the "Gendering of Humor" section is rather lackluster. I think it should either be expanded upon or deleted all together and the content added to the intro. I love the list you have of comedians to include! Good work! -Ailise

Response to peer edit: Thank you so much for the feedback! Thank you for pointing out the "othering" problem to me, it's an issue I will definitely address in my edits. I agree on the gendering of humor section and I will probably just combine it with the other sections!