Women are funny too!

I've heard men say it a million times, whether on the train, on the TV, or even read in a well-established magazine: women aren't as funny as men. I've got to hand it to men though, because they put up a good fight. It's no secret that men are dominant in the comedy world. Producers and writers for the world's most hilarious sitcoms are predominantly male.

Sure, the ladies on "The Golden Girls" and "Sex and the City" are brilliantly witty and sassy, but they're typically reciting jokes written by a man. Even comedy legend, Lorne Michaels, who produces the longest running comedic variety show, "Saturday Night Live", is a male. He has created the career of every comedian, whether male or female, who has left the show with even an ounce of fame. While it's easy to see where this notion originates from, it doesn't prove a thing. Listen up boys! Women are just as funny as men.

Some might blame it on a maturity issue. Men are more immature than women, and since it's a known fact, it's accepted. If women were to act like men do on stage, they would lose respect because that is not how a lady should act. Men aren't mature enough to handle feminine humor. On stage, men talk about their penis size, numerous sexual encounters, and their experiences going to the bathroom. The audiences erupt in laughter and applause. But when you put a woman on that same stage talking about her vagina, how many men she has slept with, and what menstruation is like. We would hear crickets. Why's that?

I wouldn't really consider myself a feminist, but I'm going to pull out the old sexism card. Let's take a look at today's society. Everywhere we go we are face-to-face with negative portrayals of women. Whether it's seen in movies, television, advertisements, or children's dolls; these images portray women less as human beings, and more as objects of affection.

To get hired today, females have a certain image they need to fulfill. Men, on the other hand, don't have it as tough. It never really seems to matter what men look like, as long as they're funny and charming. What do you think it was that made John Belushi and Chris Farley so entertaining? They were big, unattractive, and their comedy was insane. But they became cult figures, and were cast with beautiful leading women, the type of women they would never get without the fame and money. For some reason, seeing ugly men perform strong physical movement is hilarious, but seeing ugly women do it is just gross.

The role of a woman, according to Hollywood standards, is to be the glue that holds a family, or a specific character, together. She never shines on her own, such as Leah Remini from "The King of Queens" and Patricia Keaton from "Everybody Loves Raymond." Even Marge Simpson got shafted in Hollywood, and she's a cartoon!

In January 2007, Vanity Fair contributor, Christopher Hitchens, wrote an article entitled "Why Women Aren't Funny." One thing said was, "The chief task in life that a man has to perform is that of impressing the opposite sex - he had better be able to make the lady laugh. Women have no corresponding need to appeal to men in this way. They already appeal to men, if you catch my drift." This is a perfect example. Men feel that they need to constantly be performing an act in order to get our attention. I'm not going to lie; I'm always way more into a guy when he is funny. But he says women don't need to be funny, because they win men's attention with other assets, if you catch the drift.

Women simply are believed to be less funny because women aren't given the chance. It's like the comedy circuit is a private party, and there is a security guard at the door with a top-secret list not letting any funny women through. No wonder men think women aren't funny, because all they see are beautiful women, who obviously cannot be both. This stereotypical view has got fewer women attempting to get into the Hollywood scene with mere talent. More women feel as though they need to change themselves in order to be accepted. Women doubt whether or not they could make it in a man's world.

I'm sure shows today would appreciate having female writers; it would bring a diverse staff and different points of view. But women are too afraid. It all starts at an early stage. Women watch TV and they see how they should look and act, and they can't look average and get by simply making people laugh. Women grow up with class clowns, who are typically boys. They see what the boys do to get laughs, and how they are encouraged and overlooked by teachers. Yet, female classmates were hushed for inappropriate behavior. Being funny didn't get girls the same popularity it got boys during middle school.

There is a difference between women not being funny, and women not living in a society that appreciates the value of funny women. I agree that fewer men like girls for being funny than women like men for it. It doesn't mean girls don't try to be funny, it means that the men overlook it. That only proves that it is not appreciated, not that women are not funny.

Maybe it's the way our brains react to humor. Maybe men like less sass and sarcasm, and more falling down stairs and smashing chairs over each other's heads. But why do we have to take something meant to make us laugh and forget about negativity, and give it a dominant gender? Isn't there one thing in the world that every sex can agree on? Can't we leave the battle of the sexes out of comedy?

I think it's time that we officially call a tie. So, move over kings of comedy, because whether you like it or not, you're now sharing the throne with some damn funny queens.