I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Chris from Calendar Girls and Mrs. Roby in "Xingu." Both women seem set on superficially fitting into some sort of women's society, but neither do. Both are viewed as outcasts from within the circle, and both are powerful--the characters who set the action of the humor into motion.
Chris suggests vodka tasting and nude calendars; Mrs. Roby rejects asinine readings and challenges the women's "intellectual" standards. In the end, Chris is a hero of her intimate circle, successfully altering the women's views of themselves and their traditional roles. Mrs. Roby, however, is cast out of the group; her rejection of the norms is unacceptable.
We've noted that women are often misfits when it comes to stand-up, too. Margaret Cho doesn't dress like a lady, and she certainly doesn't talk like one. Her frank discussion of her sex life would surely leave even Chris blushing in shame. Jeanene Garafolo is a stand-up who rejects traditional roles by refusing to be sexualized in order to acheive fame. Her dress, attitude, and general demeanor set her outside of the traditional view. Even the stand-ups who may look the part of the traditional woman bend the rules.
However, as I mentioned in my last post, some of these women don't seem to be breaking them.
Again, I'm not suggesting that comedy's role is to change society, but it certainly can't hurt. As far as my personal preferences go, I'm finding myself much more attracted to comedy that does seem to have some more aggressive agenda: addressing racial stereotypes, breaking down gender barriers, mocking consumerism. While a joke that's just a joke is fine, a joke that makes me think is better. If that joke makes me think about something that needs to be changed in the world, that's even better still.
I think that there is something different about the way Chris and Mrs. Roby wear their misfit label, and in that difference I feel there is a more ambitious social commentary. Margaret Cho does not do much to break down barriers for women (though she does possibly do more to break down barriers for the gay community--though I'm not entirely convinced she's not merely bouncing around in those stereotypes as well--I'd have to see more of her acts). Neither, despite my general appreciation of her work, does Jeanene Garofolo. In order to be a socially progressive comic misfit, then, how do women successfully break those barriers without merely fitting into them in new ways?
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I think that your question is a very rhetorical one. Perhaps you can't approach it with that mindset because then you are self defeating. Could a woman become a stand-up comic with that message in mind? I personally would choose another venture for my message, to make it easier on myself.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is harder to do in stand-up than in film or text. In Calendar Girls other characters are created to reflect Chris's virtues. In the same way, in "Xingu" the other women play as foils to Mrs. Roby and help create her as the socially progressive misfit. One of the problems with stand-up is that it is you there alone, and your created interactions with the audience tend to go toward social caricature instead of social progression.