Fox News makes dumb points about female comedians; I respond

Hey ladies!

Today I published an editorial on Laugh Spin magazine took down a recent story on FoxNews.com, regarding a new crop of female comics with “hot bods.” (As always, Fox is first in asinine reporting – sometimes even when covering actual asses as its subject matter.) I’m reposting it here for your enjoyment. Read on!

With the nature of beauty being so subjective, it’s not surprising to a see a story like this from a news network that approaches nothing objectively. On Oct.12, FoxNews.com published an article that laid claim to an increase in “sexiness” among the newest crop of female comedians. Singled out for focus were Olivia Munn, Carrie Keagan, Anna Faris, and Mila Kunis, whose sexy presence graced the cover of GQ back in July – the first woman to represent the venerable mag’s Comedy issue.

What’s interesting about the Fox News take on this emerging breed of hot bodied lady comics is not the obviously narrow-minded objectification, but rather the article’s curious exclusion of comedy movers and shakers who might not necessarily conform to a rigid notion of attractiveness. If the trend is toward tight buns and flat abs, how does the gasping think-tank over at Rupert Murdoch HQ account for the recent successes of Melissa McCarthy (pictured above), an Emmy winner, scene stealer, and ample beauty in her own right? What about Tina Fey, whose frumpy and awkward Liz Lemon would never now dominate the pages of Maxim as she continues to dominate the prime time ratings board?

Surely, one could argue that actresses like Kunis and Faris are comedy stars without even the assistance of high, tight thighs – each earning millions at the box office for her considerable comic chops and helping to represent women in a field that more often than not actively marginalizes the fairer sex. Between them, I for one have no trouble visualizing a highly successful buddy picture; and as we’ve seen this year in the box office juggernaut Bridesmaids, there’s nothing to the idea that a female-centric cast can’t carry the premise of a wacky, slap-stick comedy.

So why, then are we discussing these ladies’ breasts and asses, not their wit and wry delivery? I think perhaps Carrie Keagan herself says it best in the Fox News piece of contention: “At the end of the day, funny is funny, and the antiquated boys’ club mentality is sooo last year’s Prada. People are realizing that you don’t have to have a penis to tell a joke about one.”

Indeed, funny is funny – so what’s hot got to do with it?