Do Your Thing and Don't Care Who Likes It

My idea for my major project was in the back of my mind ever since we learned about Amy Poehler’s iconic quote, “I don’t f*cking care if you like it.” Straight, white men aren’t just the power class in everyday life, it extends to the comedy industry too (what a refreshing twist). I wanted to look at how male approval has affected women in comedy. I also explored how it extends to other aspects of women’s lives and, more importantly, why it isn’t needed. I used the work and experiences of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Ali Wong to back me up. I also used a little help from Barreca’s “good girl” piece. Fey, Poehler, and Wong have one thing in common: they aren’t looking for anyone’s approval. Their difference from everyone else has helped them make names for themselves, and they have stayed true to themselves no matter what.
I started with where we got the notion that women aren’t funny. I googled the phrase and literally 290 million results came up in less than one second. I looked at an article by Bitch Media that gave an abridged history of the claim. Turns out, a playwright named William Congreve was one of the first to publish something on the topic. He said, “I must confess I have never made an observation of what I apprehend to be true humor in women…Perhaps passions are too powerful in that sex to let humor have its course; or maybe by reason of their natural coldness, humor cannot exert itself to that extravagant degree, which is does in the male sex.” Yuck! He wasn’t alone, and throughout the rest of history men have repeatedly tried to push this belief onto others. Some even claimed men “need” to be funny for the purposes of getting women to have sex with them.
Starting with Tina Fey, queen of abolishing beauty standards. Her list of what women must possess to be considered attractive, and her counter-list of all the ones that oppose that, is super important. We can’t live our lives expecting to check all these unrealistic boxes. Then, in an interview with David Letterman, in which he continually tries to praise an SNL sketch she had done, Fey insists on critiquing herself. This shows that just because a well-known man in the industry approves of her work, doesn’t make it good enough for her. Amy Poehler stresses the importance of working for yourself. Probably my favorite chapter in Yes Please was “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend.” In it, Poehler describes how your career not only doesn’t owe you anything, but won’t give you anything. She understands the importance of working for no one but yourself, and it’s something we can’t forget. Your career will never serve you, and neither will the opinions of other people. Last but certainly not least, we have Ali Wong. Wong not only had to face the hurdles of being a minority in the comedy industry, she also had family struggles and expectations to abolish. She discusses the pressure of her culture, and how she went against what her family wanted for her. Her father regularly celebrated the accomplishments of Asian Americans. However when she expressed her desire to move to New York and pursue stand-up comedy, those Asian Americans were an exception, and the same would surely not happen for her.
All of these women have proved so many people wrong. They exemplify how important it is to stay true to you, and never dim your light for anyone. Whether it be in your career, your education, or your daily life, never stop putting yourself first. Do your thing and don’t care who likes it!