This dissertation investigates the perception and representation of female comics on the stand-up circuit and their audiences. It begins with a review of various theories of humour examining three major strands of thought: theories on repression, release and incongruity.
It goes on to give an historical overview of British stand-up comedy, covering the Music Hall/Variety tradition, the Working Men’s Club tradition and the Alternative Comedy tradition examining the cultural attitudes of the time alongside these various stages of British comedy and the place women found within them.
Concluding with a case study on Bridget Christie and her success at navigating the patriarchal world of comedy, an investigation of current panel show figures and their representation of female comics and interview responses from current women stand-ups on the circuit. Illustrating that audiences may no longer perpetuate these long held stereotypes, but instead the industry ‘gatekeepers’, the bookers, promoters and producers within the comedy business are limiting aspiring female comedians from garnering mass exposure.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
General and Gendered theories of humour
Chapter Two
A History of Women in Comedy
Chapter Three
Bridget Christie: A Bic for Her
Mocking the Week?
The Ladies at Laughing Labia
Conclusion
Research Objectives & Topics
This dissertation investigates the systemic barriers and perceptions surrounding female comedians within the British stand-up circuit. It seeks to answer why, despite the rise of feminist movements, women remain a minority in professional comedy, and whether this under-representation is due to a lack of talent or structural gatekeeping within the industry.
- The historical evolution of women in British comedy from Music Hall to the modern era.
- Theoretical analysis of humour, including superiority, repression, and incongruity models.
- A case study of Bridget Christie and the role of feminist themes in contemporary performance.
- Quantitative assessment of female representation in mainstream television panel shows.
- Qualitative insights from current female comics working on the open-mic circuit.
Excerpt from the Book
A History of Women in Comedy
To analyse the current attitudes towards women in comedy, we must first contextualise the roles women have played within comedic platforms throughout history to realise the social and cultural influences that have aided their gradual rise into the public domain.
The rise of music halls aided women’s introduction into the world of professional comedy. The Victoria and Albert Museum (2014) cite that music halls can be traced back to the taverns of 18th century London where men met to eat, carry out business and drink. Performers sang songs whilst the audience enjoyed their meals and by the 1830s taverns had specific rooms devoted to musical clubs. While women were not allowed in the middle-class song and supper rooms, working-class women frequented taverns, accompanying their husbands and often bringing along their children and babies. However, when Mr. Charles Morton (1819-1904) erected the first purpose-built music hall in Lambeth in 1852, he encouraged women into the establishment, introducing Ladies’ Thursdays, where a gentleman could escort a woman to the hall for the evening. Although gentlemen did not necessarily take up this opportunity - the halls having developed a somewhat vulgar reputation as ‘prostitutes would walk up and down the aisles of the auditorium touting for customers.’ (Ibid.) Although women were allowed in to watch these male acts, it wasn’t until the latter part of the 19th century that women actually began to feature in music hall programmes themselves.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the research focus on the under-representation of women in stand-up comedy and introduces the core argument that industry gatekeeping, rather than lack of talent, prevents female success.
Chapter One: General and Gendered theories of humour: Examines psychological and sociological theories of humour—superiority, repression, and incongruity—to explain how women’s humour has been historically marginalized or misunderstood.
Chapter Two: A History of Women in Comedy: Provides an historical overview of female performers, tracing their path from Victorian music halls and Working Men's Clubs to the rise of Alternative Comedy in the 1980s.
Chapter Three: Bridget Christie: A Bic for Her: A case study of Bridget Christie, highlighting how she navigates a patriarchal industry using feminist themes, followed by an investigation into gender representation in the show Mock The Week.
The Ladies at Laughing Labia: Presents findings from interviews with contemporary female comics, confirming that the primary obstacle to their progress remains the industry's booking and promotional practices.
Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, affirming that women are not inherently unfunny but are restricted by outdated industry practices and societal biases.
Keywords
Female comedians, Stand-up comedy, Gender roles, Humour theories, Industry gatekeepers, Patriarchy, Mock The Week, Feminist comedy, Bridget Christie, Music Hall, Alternative comedy, Representation, Open-mic circuit, Stereotypes, Comedy industry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
The paper explores why women are significantly under-represented in the professional stand-up comedy industry and investigates the obstacles they face when trying to gain mainstream exposure.
What are the primary thematic areas covered in the text?
The study covers historical contexts of comedy, psychological theories regarding the perception of humour, analysis of specific industry figures and shows, and original interview data from contemporary female performers.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if the lack of female success in comedy is a result of talent scarcity or structural discrimination, concluding that institutional gatekeeping is the central barrier.
Which scientific methods were employed for this research?
The author uses a mixed-methods approach, combining literature review, historical analysis of comedy stages, quantitative data analysis regarding television guest appearances, and qualitative interviews with practicing female stand-ups.
What does the main body of the work address?
It addresses the historical development of women in comedy, the application of various humour theories to gender, the specific success of Bridget Christie, and the under-representation of women on television panel shows.
Which keywords best characterize this academic work?
Key terms include female comedians, gender roles, industry gatekeepers, humour theories, patriarchy, and representation.
How does the author evaluate the "unfunny woman" stereotype?
The author argues that this is a socially constructed stereotype perpetuated by industry professionals who fear that female comics will not be well-received by male-dominated audiences, despite evidence to the contrary.
What significance does the show "Mock The Week" have in the study?
The author uses the show as a case study to demonstrate, through statistical data, that women have been historically under-represented on mainstream British comedy panel shows, prompting institutional reform.
What conclusions were drawn from the interviews with current female comics?
Interviewees confirmed that while the comedy circuit is challenging, they do not feel audiences are intrinsically biased against them; rather, they struggle to be booked by promoters and producers who act as gatekeepers.
- Citation du texte
- Leah Dennison (Auteur), 2014, Do I Look Funny In This?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/279624
