Comedy As Power: Gender and Trauma through the Lens of Humor

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text!When a woman makes people laugh, she is doing more than entertaining the room. She is taking up space, steering attention, and quietly testing the rules of what society says is “acceptable” for women to do, say, and even feel. Mary traces her own path from being the smart, introverted kid to using self-deprecating humor as a kind of social armor, then asks what happens when we stop shrinking and start using humor on purpose.Guest Lynn Harris, founder and CEO of Gold Comedy, award-winning journalist, and culture-shifting producer whose humor-forward advocacy has helped move conversations on gender equity and social justice. Lynn shares a teen flashbulb moment that exposed a brutal truth: boys could be sloppy and get applause, while girls would get eye rolls. From there, we dig into why women are still asked to “prove women are funny,” why comedy clubs treat “one woman on the lineup” as diversity, and how bias makes the entire industry worse for audiences and performers.We also get practical and personal about the craft. Lynn makes the case that funny can be taught, that there are many styles of humor, and that improv is a powerful way to build confidence and flexibility. Then we go to the deeper edge: joking about grief, trauma, and tough topics. We talk about “too soon,” how to aim the joke at power or culture instead of victims, and how humor can create enough distance for healing without minimizing pain.If you care about women in comedy, resilience, trauma recovery, and the real power of laughter, listen, share with a friend, and leave a review.You can find Gold Comedy HEREhttps://goldcomedy.comYou can find Lynn HEREhttps://www.lynnharris.net/Support the showBUY ME A COFFEE or SUPPORT ALFIE'S TREAT STASHLearn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE.Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at [email protected]. Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingvioletsFollow me on Facebook and Instagram, and check out my website!