Erotic Powers of Laughter and the Guerilla Girls

Cynthia and Julia Willett argues that humor is a powerful tool for feminists and they define a new movement called fumerism. They refer to humor as the master’s tool and consider turning the tables by using humor as a liberation.  I do agree with their stand point but I also understand the feminist distancing from humour. “… coming of age with or soon after the second wave of feminism, it is hard for us not be well versed in the sad facts about hostile workplace climates, statistics on violence against women…” I often find myself troubled by these oppressive norms, as any other women, and even get depressed but I think bringing in humor also serves the cause rather than hindering it. For instance, I think Guerilla Girls, briefly mentioned in the article, are a phenomenal group of women artists who exposed the sexism of the art market by making fun of it. Their ironic work The Advantages of Being a Women Artist is my favorite. It lists the advantages of being a women artist as follows: Working without the pressure of success, not having to be in shows with men, having an escape from the art world in your 4 free-lance jobs, knowing your career might pick up after you are eighty, being reassured that whatever kind of art you make it will be labeled feminine, not being stuck at a tenured teaching position, seeing your ideas live on in the work of others, having the opportunity to choose between career and motherhood, not having to choke on those big cigars or paint in Italian suits, having more time to work when your mate dumps you for someone younger, being included in revised versions of art history, not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius and getting your picture in the art magazines wearing a gorilla suit. The idea of the male genius is still present within the art world and this ideology still effects my and many other women artists’ career but spending some time looking at the works of Guerilla Girls always makes me feel better and continue doing what I do despite the ironies of life.