Editor’s note: Comedian Simon Taylor sent us this funny video he made exploring the intensity surrounding the word “feminism” and hitting just about every “trigger word” to enflame debate between the sexes about the function of feminism in men’s lives.
Here are a few words from Simon, describing the origin of the film:
Doing comedy for a living can have different effects on a person. Sometimes I just want to create a stand-up routine that gets people doubled over laughing. The job is done and you can justify being paid. Other times I resent an audience for reacting to easy laughs, like dick jokes or swear words. Those type of jokes are tools in the toolkit of comedy and I would never say not use them. I’m just recently feeling that I want to take on topics that aren’t as easy to win an audience over with. It keeps me challenged, perhaps.
That brings me to feminism. The mere word has the potential to alienate men and enrage women. My next stand-up comedy show is all about manhood and coming of age. So I decided to create a video that encapsulates the tension between the idea of masculinity and gender equality that I discuss in the show.
The imagery of the clip is intended to be sexually evocative but the content is about an intellectual understanding of women’s rights. I hoped this contrast would create the comedy. To be honest, I have no idea what audience I am going for. I guess I’m trying to tackle a subject that perplexes me and the best way I know how to process it is with irreverence and silly gags. I will have to see how it goes. Your comments are are much appreciated.
What do you think of Simon’s film? How about this portrayal of feminism?
