Do female stand-up comedians need to dress like men to get laughs like men? (VIDEO)

Every so often, you encounter a debate about whether women are funny (which is a silly debate, because, yes, women are funny!). In this new video, comedian/filmmaker Heather Fink — with help from comedian/actress Angela Trimbur and friends — jokingly raises a separate issue for discussion. Does a female comedian face an additional obstacle onstage in getting laughs from the audience if she's also attractive? Do women need to cover up and dress like men to get laughs like men? As Fink wrote on her blog introducing the clip:

"Female comedians can't be too distracting with their boobies and such! Or can they? Maybe they just have to be funny or talented and nobody cares what they look like."

This short video doesn't depict an actual reality, but does it depict the subconscious reality? Watching this made me think of Sarah Silverman, who deliberately dons casual shirts and sweats onstage while delivering her risque jokes; also Iliza Shlesinger, who won the "last" Last Comic Standing and almost always wears a revealing top. But watch this and judge for yourselves. Note: It's NSFW, due to profanities from Trimbur (who happens to appear in episodes this fall of new shows Secret Girlfriend and The League). Roll the clip!

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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