After Katie Roiphe wrote an article criticizing feminists nowadays for being too sarcastic instead of being “serious” and “straightforward,” Amanda Marcotte over at Slate wrote a response to Roiphe’s article, saying that feminists are sarcastic these days because, well, pretty much everyone is! In celebration of snark, we’ve compiled a list of ten of our favorite snarky feminists (in no particular order).
First up is Janeane Garofalo. The sarcastic comedian is especially known for her hilarious stand up about the ridiculous body ideals placed on women (Brazilian waxes, anyone?).
Lisa Simpson isn’t an actual person, but she definitely belongs on this list. In season 5 of The Simpsons, episode 14, Lisa visits a Barbie doll factory and asks the tour guide, “Is the remarkably sexist drivel spouted by Malibu Stacy intentional, or is it just a horrible mistake?” Lisa is 8 years old, BTW.
Rachel Maddow covers news and pop culture on The Rachel Maddow Show with a humorous and sarcastic twist. After the Akin bullshiz, she went on her show and listed other conservatives who believe that women don’t get pregnant through rape as well as bringing up the important fact that Paul Ryan’s pro-life record is no different than Akin’s.
Of course, we have to have the awesome comedian/actress/author/singer-songwriter Margaret Cho on our list. Cho’s stand up often includes critiques on social problems relating to sexuality, she’s been an outspoken and relentless supporter of women’s rights, and she even wrote a rap song about vaginas, appropriately titled “My Puss.”
Comedy queen Amy Poehler is next. Her fantastic YouTube show “Smart Girls” talks about and promotes feminism among young girls. Once, when asked what the craziest thing she did when she was younger to get a guy’s attention, Poehler responded, “I had no idea how to get guys to notice me. I still don’t. Who cares?”
Another favorite imagined snarky feminist is Leela from the show Futurama. The one-eyed mutant is constantly saving the main character (a dude) from trouble, as well as being a confident and intelligent female character on a show with a predominantly male audience.
Up next is Daria Morgendorffer, the smart protagonist from the show Daria. She observes the world around her in a drily sarcastic manner, with sly criticisms of pop culture and social standards.
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is known for her acerbic and humorous columns that often spotlight women’s issues.
The hilarious writer/actress/comedian and out and proud feminist Wanda Sykes is next on the list. If you haven’t seen her stand up bit about how great it would be if our pussies were detachable, you must watch it now.
And last but definitely not least is our very own BUST columnist, Roseanne Barr. Roseanne is a really well-known feminist icon for good reason — she’s never afraid to be a snarky, outspoken feminist. Her incredibly successful sitcom, Roseanne, was based around her wanting to do a “realistic show about a strong mother who was not a victim of patriarchal consumerist bullshit.”
So there we have it, ten ladies who say what they think and stand up for feminism. Are any of your favorite snarky feminists missing from this list?
Images via thereelist.com, giantbomb.com, thehollywoodreporter.com, zimbio.com, comedycentral.com, and pobladores.com
