If You're Going to Joke About Women's Bodies, At Least Make it Funny

By now, you've almost certainly heard about the Shane Gillis monologue heard 'round the world. If you haven't seen it, don't rush to go watch it. You're really not missing out on anything. I'll just give you the TL;DR.

Essentially, the comedian appeared on Saturday Night Live and used his time on one of the most coveted stages in the world to tell a joke that was incredibly distasteful...and also? Deeply unfunny and incredibly unoriginal.

“I haven’t been to the gym in so long I didn’t know that women just dress like wh*res now,” he said. “I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe— have you seen it? I’ve seen it. The shorts? Have you seen the shorts?".

A lot of people are rightfully calling out the comments, which are not just gross and misogynistic, but also just...not clever in the least. The quips feel like such low-hanging fruit. It is, after all, the oldest trick in the book to judge a woman and her morality based around how she chooses to dress her body, and by summing up that judgement with a slur.

The timing, of course, is particularly bad. Right now, headlines are being dominated by a certain case that has women everywhere reflecting on how little agency we're allowed to hold on to when it comes to our bodies...and this just feels like yet another reminder of how our bodies are treated out in the world.

Some people are ranting and raving about how everyone is so ~offended~ by these comments. But here's the thing: I don't think people are actually "offended". I think this sort of rhetoric is so played out by now, most people are just...noticing, once again, how unbelievably low the bar truly is for men. It's less about being offended and more about being frustrated by how women's bodies are so routinely made the butt of every joke. Women in comedy, on the other hand? Well, can you imagine if one of them came out with a joke this unoriginal? It wouldn't get them on Saturday Night Live, a show that's supposed to represent excellence in comedy.

In short? This joke doesn't offend me. It doesn't make me angry. But then, I guess right now, my anger is reserved for the stories that represent the real ramifications of a culture that allows women's bodies to be violated...which, when you think about it, is the same culture that allows jokes like this to fly.