Female comics becoming a force to be reckoned with
Being a female comic is no joke.
"It is an aggressive, masculine business," says Linda Mizejewski, a professor of women's studies at Ohio State University.
About 80 percent of all comics are men, Mizejewski notes, but female comics are becoming more mainstream.
Mizejewski will talk about the rise of female comedians at the 2011 Friends of Women's Studies Annual Dinner at Old Dominion University on Feb. 28.
Mizejewski said that the industry long was resistant to funny women, but that belief has been turned upside down by the success of Joan Rivers, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, Ellen DeGeneres and others.
Mizejewski, who taught at ODU in the late 1970s, is writing a book about female comics. She argues that the ascent of women in comedy is a framework for understanding how ideas about women and their roles have changed in society.
Comedy is an arena where traditional ideas about how women should look, act and behave have been challenged.
While women in show business are expected to be attractive, Mizejewski said that good looks aren't always an advantage for those trying to make others laugh.
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