Female acts rare in U.K., plentiful here

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on November 26th, 2007

We extract this quote from an article the U.K. Independent on the dearth of female standup comics in Britain:

When I do a gig in this country, I’m usually the only woman. It’s different when I perform in America, where there are so many female stand-ups. They have a far older and richer history of women stand-up comics than we do. Women here have been more orientated towards sketches.

(“Orientated,” btw, is the current accepted use in the U.K.)

We do have an older and richer history of women in standup. What is it about American females that they attempt standup so much more frequently than British females? Or is it the culture and not the people themselves? Perhaps it’s television.

Starting in 1961, Phyllis Diller was all over the pop culture– in movies, nightclubs and especially television– so, if you place a lot of emphasis on the Role Model theory, she certainly provided one.

Prior to the explosion and dominance of television, Pearl Williams, Rusty Warren, Moms Mabley, Minnie Pearl, Gracie Allen and Mae West demonstrated quite clearly– in movies, clubs, theaters and on vinyl– that females could, if they wanted to, perform as standup comics.

Add to that the traditional American acceptance (or tolerance? or both?) of women behaving in this manner and you have the current situation where clumps of female comics are banding together and going on tours that feature nothing but comics with and extra X chromosome– Brett Butler‘s Southern Belles of Comedy, Five Funny Females, Confederacy of Cunces, just to name a few.

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