Who Says Women Aren't Funny? (Favorite Memory of Women in Pop Culture)

Comedy has a huge influence on pop culture. Movies and television are more than just the actors and actresses you see on the screen, there are writers and directors behind the scenes whose roles, up until recently, were pretty male dominated. However, there is a new generation of comedians proving that ladies know how to induce a round of belly laughs.

One of my personal favorite memories occurred in 2008 when the cover of Vanity Fair magazine’s April issue featured Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler dressed as Greek Goddesses and posing the question, “who says women aren’t funny?”

The article discusses sexism in comedy and the varying styles of female comediennes. It gives about a dozen women as examples of comedy styles but it brings up a point that the women are now taking more of a leadership role by writing and acting and having more control than women of comedy in the past. Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball, for example, while loved in the comedy world, did not write their material.

Women like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are not being funny according to men's rules. In her book “Bossypants,” Fey talks about her personal run-in’s with sexism and how she and her fellow comediennes dealt with it.

“Amy [Poehler] was in the middle of some such nonsense with Seth Meyers across the table, and she did something vulgar as a joke. I can’t remember what it was exactly, except it was dirty and loud and ‘unladylike.’ Jimmy Fallon, who was arguably the star of the show at the time, turned to her and in a faux-squeamish voice said, ‘Stop that! It’s not cute! I don’t like it.’ Amy dropped what she was doing, went black in the eyes for a second, and wheeled around on him. ‘I don’t fucking care if you like it.’ Jimmy was visibly startled. Amy went right back to enjoying her ridiculous bit. I should make it clear that Jimmy and Amy are very good friends and there was never any real beef between them. (Insert penis joke here.) With that exchange, a comic shift took place. Amy made it clear that she wasn’t there to be cute. She wasn’t there to play wives and girlfriends in the boys’ scenes. She was there to do what she wanted to do and she did not fucking care if you like it.”

These women are role models for younger generations. They are proving that women in the comedy world belong there and that they can hold their own along with men. Women are funny and they are worth so much more than just playing second fiddle to their male counteparts.

The American Dream

There are many ways one can interpret the American dream. Traditionally, the concept of the American dream has been molded as a process typically occurring in the order of: working hard, buying a house, and raising a family. Immigrants have long traveled to America with the promise that if they work hard they too can achieve that American dream.

In recent decades, the importance of education has been stressed on America’s youth. With a proper education, you will not have to work a physically exhausting job like your ancestors, rather, you can pick any career path that interests you which will lead to more opportunities to acquire that dream home and support that dream family.

I think many people misinterpret what the American dream really means. The American dream is commonly misunderstood for what is simply achieving the materialistic prize; the house, wife and kids. However, the true American dream essentially is the process itself. The true American dream is having the opportunity to attain what you desire; the freedom to pursue happiness. I think the misconception about the American dream is people think it is something to achieve whereas I think it is something to be lived.

Thomas Jefferson explained the American dream in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To me, the key word to remember is “pursuit.” No one is guaranteed to be happy. Everyone must work for what they want. What makes America unique is that even through times of adversity we still progress. Though it may take time, American’s have hope that if they work hard it is possible to achieve happiness.

The civil rights movement, women’s liberation, gay and lesbian rights, these are prime examples of people, Americans, who worked hard and continue to strive for equality so that they can continue living their dream, the American dream. Understanding that in the face of adversity they have the power to change the current mentality of fellow citizens, having hope that they can change minds, working to achieve their goals, and knowing that their efforts will lead toward positive progression is living the American dream. Working for progression politically and socially to truly be free to pursue happiness, no matter what the end product is, to me, is living the American dream.

Personally, I feel like I am living the American dream. I am the first person in my family to be born in this country, the first person in my family to graduate high school and attend college. More than that, I am the first person who has had the ability to change my mind. This is all thanks to those who came before me who sought to achieve their individual American dream. My grandparents moved to this country with the dream that they could secure a home for their family. My parents encouraged me to earn an education to see their dream of their daughter become an independent woman who, unlike past generations of women, would not need to rely on the support of a man.

Because of the dreams of those who have come before me I have the opportunity to pursue happiness in any way I chose. To live the American dream, I do not have to fit the mold set for the connotation of "success" or "the American dream." I can be independent. I have the freedom to change my mind. I can do what makes me happy and I know that if there is some obstacle I have to overcome, I can overcome it. I may not end up with a house and kids but if I am happy doing whatever I am doing, I am a success and that is living the American dream.