Female comics becoming a force to be reckoned with

"It is an aggressive, masculine business," says Linda Mizejewski, a professor of women's studies at Ohio State University.

About 80 percent of all comics are men, Mizejewski notes, but female comics are becoming more mainstream.

Mizejewski will talk about the rise of female comedians at the 2011 Friends of Women's Studies Annual Dinner at Old Dominion University on Feb. 28.

Mizejewski said that the industry long was resistant to funny women, but that belief has been turned upside down by the success of Joan Rivers, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, Ellen DeGeneres and others.

Mizejewski, who taught at ODU in the late 1970s, is writing a book about female comics. She argues that the ascent of women in comedy is a framework for understanding how ideas about women and their roles have changed in society.

Comedy is an arena where traditional ideas about how women should look, act and behave have been challenged.

While women in show business are expected to be attractive, Mizejewski said that good looks aren't always an advantage for those trying to make others laugh.

Over the years, women's stage material has changed, she said, so that dirty talk no longer is the sole domain of men.

"It is now more acceptable for women to be raunchy, to say edgy things just like the guys," she said. "The double standard has, on some level, been eclipsed."

Mizejewski has published several books, including "Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture" and "Divine Decadence: Fascism, Female Spectacle, and the Makings of Sally Bowles."

Old Dominion University's Women's Studies Program, founded in 1977, was the first in Virginia. The Friends of ODU Women's Studies was established in 1986 to support the department. Each year, the group sponsors a dinner.

Mizejewski said that although comedy may seem like a lighthearted topic, she wants her audience to think critically about comedy.

"We take popular culture for granted because it's everywhere," she said, "but it tells us a lot, shows us big trends and cycles."