"Are Funny Girls Really Funny?"

From Chris McNamara's article "Funny Girls," published today in the Chicago Tribune:

It seems silly to ask, but here goes -- are women as funny as men?

"Yes," confirms stand-up comedian Cameron Esposito. "The difference is in exposure to comedy and gender norms."

In our society, she explained, women are exposed to less comedy (scan the crowd at the next comedy show you attend), they are instructed to be demure and they are often turned off by the entry-level opportunities to get into comedy -- open-mic nights.

The article goes on to talk about Feminine Comique, a women's stand up class in Chicago taught by Cameron Esposito. 

Quick Thoughts:

1) Go Feminine Comique!  This is what the world needs. 

2) I'm pretty darn sick of articles about adult female comedians including the phrase "funny girl" in the title.  New decree: "Funny Girl" articles will be limited to Streisand or the show Funny Girl itself. 

3) Did we really have to start the article with WAF ("women aren't funny")?  Seriously?  When will we at least pretend to live in a post-WAF society?   That McNamara ends the article with an acknowledgement of "prejudice against women" doesn't negate the fact that he frames the whole story with that notion that it's a big ol' gender battle/women need to constantly prove their comedic worth.