I feel very passionately about feminist and intersectional satire. I think that women typically have a feminist perspective because of our shared understanding of what it means to navigate the world as a woman. I think the reading ‘How to be “fierce as f**k!” Full Frontal’s angry feminist satire’ was really powerful reading because it legitimises the concerns Samantha Bee shares on her show about the impact American legislature has on women.

I like that Dubriwny acknowledges Bee’s cutting and angry humour because women are so often encouraged to hide their emotions. Another woman praising this satirical perspective shows it has a valuable place in mainstream comedy. The quote “satire works constitutively, drawing the audience to a shared identity to judge the topic under attack” reflects how powerful feminist satire can be if it is given the space to flourish. Women and gender diverse people are able to effectively critique power structures that limit our rights while understanding the nuances of our experiences.

Dubriwny quotes Solana who says that “When a woman writes such savage, unyielding satire, it’s humour seems to evade many readers” reflects how a lack of meaningful representation and misogyny means that a large portion of comedy and satire from women isn’t understood. I think that most women have been told our whole gender isn’t funny or that we are the anomaly—we must be hiding a secret Y chromosome somewhere.

I hope to work in journalism and do comedy in some capacity and hope that opportunities for marginalised people (not just cis-het-white-abled people) increase, and that the jokes that we tell poke fun at our inherent understanding of an experience not seen as the norm. It’s also dangerous for women to put themselves out there because being independent is often threatening. This will change but I wonder how quickly, and how safely for marginalised groups. Overall I think this reading accurately depicts the impact of Samantha Bee’s comedy and shows how a feminist lens on satire is a powerful tool for political change and can be a form of therapy for disaffected women.