How Joan Rivers Changed the Way We Think About Women in Comedy

One of comedy’s most influential comediennes, the sharp-witted and always-on-the-move Joan Rivers influenced multiple generations of comedians.  Here’s our tribute to the comedy legend.

While her brand of insult comedy isn’t necessarily everyone’s  cup of tea, that doesn’t diminish the fact that Rivers was the most hard-working comedian (man or woman) in showbiz.  Today, we are in a golden age of female comedy, and much of that can be attributed to the hard work that Joan Rivers put into her career.  Here’s a look back at some of her best moments:

1. When she made fun of herself in A Piece of Work

There’re two things that everyone associates with Joan Rivers:  1) She’s gotten a lot of plastic surgery.  2) She’s far too self-aware.  But that comes with being a stand-up.  And after doing it for so long, her comebacks and self-deprecation only became more biting.  In A Piece of Work, the documentary which followed Rivers through a year in her life, she had quips that had us roaring, making us appreciate her work and ceaseless dedication even more.

2. The time she was at the make-up counter with Miss Piggy

Both Miss Piggy and Joan Rivers are examples of the “Unruly Woman” — the woman onscreen who isn’t afraid to laugh at herself and others, speak up about topics many would find inappropriate or unladylike, and poke fun at themselves and others.  While Miss Piggy is a fictionalized Muppet character, both women opened doors for the types of characters women could play onscreen.

3. When she gave this sage advice to Louis CK

Today, Louis CK is one of comedy’s untouchables, and yet, even he has days where he doesn’t know what he’s doing or why, just like all of us.  Rivers’ cameo in an episode of Louie reminded us all of why she’s the best — the comedy business is unforgiving, and many times, you come out under-appreciated and criticized.  It takes guts to stick it out.

4. When she came up with this joke

That’s the difference between a politically-correct comedian, and a comedian who isn’t afraid to take chances.  Joan Rivers is the ultimate risk-taker, and many of her jokes have that factor where you don’t know whether to laugh or be offended.  Her fans appreciate her political incorrectness, and if you’re going to be offended, then learn to take a joke already.

5. Her appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, talking about the differences between single women and single men

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Stand-up comedy has a way of showing us the hypocrisies and questionable expectations of contemporary American belief systems, and no one does it better than Joan.  Calling her set “adorable” would be the last thing she would want us to do, but there is something very endearing about the way she swings her arms back and forth, revealing truths with reckless abandon.  Now, thankfully, women aren’t expected to be married at 20, 22, 24, or even (gasp) 26.  Though we certainly can’t give all the credit to Rivers, I’m sure her stand-up set got a few minds churning.

6. When she fell and couldn’t get up

Look, Joan Rivers was never shy about mocking her own aging process.  It’s not like the talking heads and late show hosts who used her age and physical appearance as a punchline were exactly breaking new ground — Joan Rivers already made those jokes herself.  She was open with her fans about aging in a way that made her human, and made us admire how much energy and stamina she put into her work, year after year.

7. When she toked up

Joan Rivers is that “cool mom” kind of cool.  She’s Amy Poehler in Mean Girls, just 50 years older and wiser.  When she took a bong hit on her reality series Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, it was almost like she legalized pot for all of American reality TV viewers.  Of course, Joan grew up in a time when marijuana cigarettes, or “reefers,” were the ultimate social crux (or at least that’s what Mad Men tells me).  Joan has definitely cemented herself with “undeniable cool mom status.”

8. On why she gets plastic surgery

Politically incorrect or not, Joan recognized that America is completely obsessed with women’s physical appearances.  Although our culture has evolved over the course of her career, and we’re moving towards accepting and loving women of all shapes and sizes, Joan was always hyperaware of the role that beauty and fashion played in a woman’s career.  She used this to her advantage on shows like Fashion Police, and to her detriment when controversial jokes about other stars’ weight and looks got her in trouble.  But no one was safe from Joan’s sharp tongue, and she saved her biggest barbs for her own self-deprecation.

Above all else, Joan taught us that if she can have a laugh at her own expense, we all can, too.

♦♦♦

Thanks for all the laughs, Joan Rivers.