Women of color are often forced to navigate hostile environments in which their humor and mirth are scrutinized through sexist and racist lenses.
Historically, this meant compromising either mass appeal or genuine expression. Jackie “Moms” Mabley, the trailblazing female Black comedian born at the tail end of the 19th century, delivered jokes on edgier matters by packaging her on-stage persona into a nonthreatening bedraggled granny in a floppy hat. For Carmen Miranda, a Brazilian entertainer who was the highest-paid actress in 1945 Hollywood, the humorously tempestuous, fruit-clad, Latina trope she pioneered became a trap she never escaped.
Even today, funny women of color are not always granted the freedom to wield humor on their own terms. For example, in 2004, Korean American comedian Margaret Cho was removed as a headliner act from a major Democratic fundraiser for fear of being too outspoken and creating a “distraction.”
Broadly speaking, the idea that women aren’t funny persists as a mainstay of White patriarchal culture. In 2019, a meta-analysis of 28 studies concluded that “On average, men have higher humor production ability than women.” According to historian Joy Wiltenburg, this notion flourished in the 20th century, championed by the likes of Sigmund Freud, who believed humor to be a masculine trait and that women are less psychically developed than men.
Wiltenburg notes, “Women’s humour tends to take other forms, such as the witty remark that turns an ordinary moment into a laughable one.” While comedy has very much become commoditized, we must not forget its power as a tool for criticizing the status quo, a charismatic dagger that jabs the establishment where it hurts, and reserves the laughter for folks in the margin.
Wanda Sykes did exactly this by dragging everyone from former President George W. Bush to conservative shock jock Rush Limbaugh during her fearless monologue at the 2009 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Fox News contributor Karl Rove remarked that her jokes ought to be good-natured, but were instead, “nasty, vicious, mean, ugly.” Sykes herself, however, believes, “It is the job of a comedian to talk about the world and its problems. It’s for us to be a voice for those who don’t have a voice.”
The whip-smart lawmakers like Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others, wield their quick wit with precision and power, crucially amplifying their messages and challenging racist policies and perspectives. Video clips of their public appearances and speeches regularly draw millions of views across social media platforms.
Other women find it safer to choose self-deprecating forms of humor as protection from harm and to gain acceptance in White patriarchal circles. Earlier this month, we debuted just such a journey in an original comic from the Pulitzer Prize-nominated cartoonist, Zoe Si, who is best known for her work in The New Yorker. Si later came to think better of her youthful comedic choices and, ultimately, reclaimed her own punchlines and redefined her own joy.
As writing and emotional wellness coach Linda Jones wrote in this personal essay, “Finding your joy, especially during challenging times, is not a luxury; it is a radical act of self-preservation.” Her trek from veteran journalist to African drummer is one of learning to move with life’s rhythms, laugh in the face of prescripted narratives, and find the joy and joke in life’s unexpected journeys.
It’s a message Rep. Pressley echoed during her sit-down with The Emancipator’s publisher and general manager Amber Payne, at SXSW this past weekend. She encourages us all to be “intentional in the informing and preservation of your joy. This is a justice movement, but it is one of joy too.”
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, The Emancipator is training our lens on femininity and the power of humor through conversations with satire writers and professional comedians, as well as thoughtful reporting on how female public figures of color utilize their humor as an important tool to critique the status quo.
To inspire laughter is more than fluff, more than diversion. It can bite with teeth that hurt, it can pour the tea that scalds. For women of color, it is a way to speak truth to power – with style.
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