Funny Women Awards 2021: how our favourite female comedians are fighting misogyny head-on ✊🏾

Some of our favourite Funny Women alumni talk top tips, TikTok and tackling the patriarchy

Funny Women

by Carl Smith |
Updated on

With the Funny Women Awards 2021 just around the corner we’re giving you – dear heat reader – the oh-so-difficult task of choosing your favourite Content Creator.

We’ve had thousands of entries, with the finest in up-and-coming female comedy talent all vying for that coveted gong at next week’s Funny Women Awards.

But – before your new queen of content’s crowned at the bash on Thursday September 23rd – we thought we’d catch up with some Funny Women alumni to talk all things TikTok, top tips and tackling the patriarchal world of comedy head-on.

Margaret Cho, Micky Overman, Lucie Pohl, Fiona Allen, Lily Phillips and Maisie Adam tell us how they got into the game, which new talent they've got their eye on and just how to stand out in the comedy crowd.

Who’s your female comedy hero and why?

Margaret Cho: Joan Rivers. She inspired me to do comedy. She broke down so many barriers for women and it’s something that astounds me still.

Micky Overman: Kristen Wiig - I love her so much and I watch her SNL sketches over and over again on YouTube.

Lucie Pohl: If I had to pick one it would probably be Lucille Ball. Lucille Ball didn't find "success" until she was 40 years old, which is amazing in itself because it takes a lot of strength to keep believing in yourself for that long. At that time 40 was like 180.

Fiona Allen: Joan Rivers – the reason being I can't imagine how tough it must have been in those days to even think about being a stand up (or a woman). But she did it.

Maisie Adam: There's so many, it's so hard to choose. But obviously I have to mention Victoria Wood - I love the way she would get a whole room of men and women not only chuckling at - but also relating to and recognising - the female experience. You watch her shows and there's a bunch of 1980s husbands laughing at her routine about bras or childbirth. She walked so we could run!

But growing up, I adored French & Saunders - I loved their silliness and their physicality.

Lily Phillips: Tina Fey - she dominates American comedy, it’s so impressive. I want to be her.

Micky Overman
©Micky Overman

Why is it so important to support women in comedy?

Margaret Cho: We still have to fight for rights to our own bodies. We will not stop fighting until we have equality.

Micky Overman: I think had I seen people on TV that were like me, I would have started stand-up five years earlier. I genuinely didn't think it was for me and it took me a long time to figure out that that was just internalised misogyny and a lack of examples. It's so much better now, but there's still a ways to go before we get to even a 50/50 split, so the more we support women, the more women will start and the sooner we can get over these ridiculous hang-ups.

Lucie Pohl: Women have been oppressed for a long time. Being funny is powerful. Alot of men haven't wanted women to be powerful, which is why men used to (and sometimes still) say: women aren't funny. Did you just puke a little? So did I. We know that's not true, so it is important to empower women so they can do what they have the power to do: make people laugh so hard their nipples fall off.

Maisie Adam: It's important to support anyone in this comedy because it's a mad industry haha! But it's especially important to support women because - put simply - it's a male-dominated industry. From green rooms to writers rooms, and comedy clubs to panel shows, women have often found themselves on their own and surrounded by blokes. But this is also an industry that thrives best when it's as diverse and accessible, so that means we need to support anyone currently underrepresented (women, Black comics, Asian comics, disabled comics) so that we feel comfortable, and not just accepted but expected in these spaces. It's getting better, but still has a way to go.

Lily Phillips: Because comedy can be an unfriendly world for women or anyone who doesn’t fit the usual bill of ‘funny person’, so the more support we can give each other the more friendly it will be. And more interesting comedy will come through. We need all different types of comedy for all different types of audiences.

What are your top tips for getting your name out there in the comedy circuit?

Margaret Cho: Do as many shows as you can.

Micky Overman: Do as many gigs as you can and just focus on becoming funnier, because people notice and they talk.

Lucie Pohl: Do what makes YOU laugh in terms of promotion, writing and performing. If you do that you can't go wrong and you will have an endless wealth of treasures to draw from AND it will get your name out there because there will be nothing like it.

Fiona Allen: If you want to have a go at stand up, stop thinking about it, get to an open mike night and DO IT. You'll have fun.

Maisie Adam: Remember that it's work! If you want to have this as a job, you need to treat it as a job. I found that especially when I was starting out on the open mic circuit - a lot of the venues are in pubs and so there's lots of drinking and late nights associated with it. But keep focussed on the job, on improving your material, on learning as you go, and moving forward. Obviously it’s great to be social and network and get to know the other comics you're doing the circuit with, but just make sure every night isn't an "office party"!

Lily Phillips: Gig, gig, gig! Only when you've been asked to though, don't just gig to people on the tube. And collaborate with others! It's great to work with fellow funny people to experiment, but also to develop professional relationships within the industry and to just make PALS.

Doing competitions can be super helpful, they give you a great platform to be seen.

Fiona Allen
©Fiona Allen

Which emerging platforms are perfect for an up-and-coming comic?

Margaret Cho: I love TikTok and Instagram - such great comedy happening there.

Micky Overman: This really just depends on what you want to do. One of the 'good' things about the pandemic was that everyone had to get creative on a different level and find what worked for them outside of live performance. If that's sketch, go on TikTok and Instagram. If it's jokes, go on Twitter. Start apodcast, become a streamer - just do whatever you fancy! Or do it all, it's really up to you.

Lucie Pohl: That's a personal thing and is different for everyone. TikTok is great for characters and short bits. Youtube is great if you have something that fits into a longer form. Facebook is great if you want everyone's parents to love you. To me, platforms are nice but nothing replaces the live stage.

Fiona Allen: There are so many platforms to put your stuff out and no excuses ladies go and do it. Because you can.

Maisie Adam: Social media is a huge tool for comedy. Massive. And what's great is there's a format that suits whatever type of comedy you do - so if you like doing sketches or short form stuff then Tik-Tok is great. I love twitter (sometimes!) because it can just be like scrolling through a joke book; one-liners, observations - and then Instagram with memes, videos etc - they can all be shared with thousands of people so quickly, and that's an amazing thing.

Lily Phillips: TikTok seems to be an incredibly valuable tool for experienced and new comics alike, if only I knew how to use it, I would take my own advice. I'm a big fan of Instagram myself, it suits my style and I have an alternate account that just follows puppies. It's heaven.

Which new comics do you have your eye on at the moment?

Margaret Cho: Robin Tran, Irene Tu, Jenny Yang and Atsuko Okatsuka

Micky Overman: I met Caitlin Powell at a gig last month and she was amazing. So good.

Lucie Pohl: Some of my favorite female comedians at the moment are Nataly Aukar, Courtney Bee, Brittany Carney, Atsuko Okatsuka, Franqi French, Kerry Cordett, and Ayanna Dookie.

Maisie Adam: Celya AB is fantastic. I gigged with her for the first time a few months ago, and most recently at a beach show in Brighton and she absolutely smashed it. She's a French comedian who subverts where the audience think she's going. I watched her from the side of the stage and she had the crowd in the palm of her hand, she was just brilliant. Louise Young is also great; she did my tour support in Newcastle last year and was just fantastic. And then just recently, I was asked to be a guest judge at the 'So You Think You're Funny?' competition up at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the runner up was a girl called Rae Brogan. She was absolutely hilarious, and is so new that most of her gigs have been on Zoom but my god, she was ace onstage.

Lily Phillips: I'm loving Kathy Maniura at the moment, who does characters - her cycling one makes me weep. Also, Jen Ives is smashing it at the moment. I'm loving her stuff.

Maisie Adam
©Maisie Adam

The Funny Women Awards take place on Thursday 23rd September 2021 - and voting for your heat Content Creator will be open very soon indeed. Stay tuned.

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