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I'm a fairly new comic. So people may feel like I don't have enough experience to be speaking so much about the issues in the industry. Most of what we're hearing about harassment in the circuit is about people in positions of power getting away with sexism, racism and homophobia
as well as other types of inappropriate behaviour. We think of big time producers, club owners, festival bookers and agents. But it starts in the small pub gigs where comedians go to learn their craft, in the open mic nights.
Anyone who has ever been to an OM night will know that usually they are filled with straight, white men testing out their latest theory on masturbation. A widely acknowledged trope of the industry. And yes, sex is funny, nobody is disputing that.
But when you're a budding female comic trying to do what all the other guys are doing, you very quickly learn that the same rules don't apply to you. You start to get the uncomfortable comments from male comics about your material after the gig, they might speculate further about
what you're like sexually, or make suggestions like "it would be so much funnier if you were to act out a whole orgasm after your joke", or often they will just use the content of your material as a way to hit on you.
From Day One of your career, your creativity is stifled by having to censor your material in the hopes of avoiding these interactions. By contrast, men have more space to develop their skills without this sort of fear. They have more opportunity to make mistakes and learn.
You have to decide very early on how to navigate this, usually by either avoiding the topic entirely or leaning into it and becoming that filthy, bold, raunchy female comic, who has a "masculine style of comedy". You are promiscuous or prude, no in-between.
So you laugh it off, or adapt to avoid it, either way dismissing your feelings and true humour. You become friends with these men, they become your colleagues and you accept the awkward comments, trying to remain professional in the face of blatant unprofessional-ism.
You start to feel like you're part of the scene then, and recognised as a fellow comic. You choose to take it as a compliment when the male comics tell you that your comedy is "not like other female comics", because you want to be accepted, and to be a comedian.
And lineups rarely have more than one or two women for each gig, so you are kept at a distance from other women in the industry. You don't get to gig together very often and therefore don't become colleagues in the same way as with the men.
No chance to bounce material off one another, or talk about your experiences. You remain surrounded and suffocated by the toxic male environment, and it becomes normal, it becomes your comedy world.
Even worse than the sexual connotations in the way you're spoken to, is the regular undermining of your talent. As you start to do well, get regular 10min spots at bigger clubs etc, your male colleagues will remind you that you're only getting the spot because they needed a woman
and you're only getting more spots because there's fewer women in comedy. They bitch and moan about how difficult it is battling it out for spots against all the other straight white guys, but you believe them. And so every time you get something you're excited about
it is tinged with the disappointment that you may only be there to fill a quota. Double or triple that sting if you're also black, queer or disabled. It must be lovely as a male comic to get booked and know it is because they thought you were good.
And so because you have stayed quiet or laughed off so much inappropriate behaviour, and you don't believe you deserve your place in the green room, when more uncomfortable and dangerous situations happen, you stay quiet, afraid of losing all you have worked for.
This is not just a comedy issue. The narrative around rape and sexual assault is backwards. The responsibility falls on women not to get raped, taught from a young age how to dress, watch our drinks, not walk home alone, etc.
Women shouldn't leave their friends alone with a man if they are drunk, or women should warn each other about certain guys, or comics or clubs to avoid. Never it is the responsibility of a man to not rape someone, or to make sure they aren't making a woman uncomfortable,
or to call out their friends' behaviour when they see it.
When a female comic walks on stage, she has to prove every single person in the room wrong. When a man walks on stage, he just has to be good enough to confirm what they already think of him.
When a female comic walks on stage, she has to prove every single person in the room wrong. When a man walks on stage, he just has to be good enough to confirm what they already think of him.
What they already thought about him before arriving at the club: that he will be funny. It is much harder to prove a room full of people wrong than to confirm that they are right. And you have to do this every time, you have to storm it every time or you are written off.
Their mediocrity is always rewarded more than our greatest successes.
