Interview: Megan Ford on ‘Feminasty’

For her show Feminasty – which she brings to newly-relocated Wardrobe Theatre on Saturday, January 9 – London-based US comic Megan Ford promises us “an obnoxious comedy show all about the stupid media from a piece of American trash”.

Via some horrible characters, whiny girl stand-up, dumb sketches, and incredible rap songs, Megan promises to take down the patriarchy with nothing but her bare hands and some fabulous wigs.

So, Megan, what brought you to London?  
I’d always been an Anglophile and did a term in London as part of my degree. That’s when I fell in love with the city. I’ve just celebrated a decade as a Londoner and it’s still my favourite city in the world. Bristol is my next favourite UK city: my best friend lives there so I visit regularly. I love the young, buzzy vibe and how the arts and small businesses are so highly valued.

How do we compare to the US when it comes to the patriarchy and the rest of modern society’s ills?
The UK is in some ways more progressive than the US. It offers better options for parental leave and women’s reproductive health care, introduced marriage equality earlier, and the government and businesses at least appear to care about equal-opportunity employment. But there is still a considerable wage gap, under-representation in politics and in the media, a lad culture that is oppressive to both men and women, and rape culture and domestic violence is just as bad here as anywhere.
And y’all say Nike and Adidas wrong.

Your characters seem to spring off the page – or website – fully formed. Which of them will we meet on the night?
All of the characters are in the show, plus some other sketches, songs, and what I call my ‘boring feminist lectures’ where I talk about things like intersectionality. A lot of the show was written from a place of anger, so each character comments on a specific element in the media or society that concerns me. Like the celebrity gossip presenter who showcases the harsh judgment of women in the tabloids, or the right-wing politician spouting bigoted inanities on FOX News.
But negativity is only entertaining for so long. Feminasty isn’t just an angry rant: I’m actually quite optimistic about the progress we can make and the show is my call to arms to start a revolution.

Does the real Megan Ford share much with any of these characters?
I hope not. My characters are all terrible human beings. That said, I’ve realised there is still something likeable about each of them. You wouldn’t want to be friends with them, but like any good baddie it’s satisfying watching them revel in their evilness. The only one I sit a little too comfortably to is Oklahoma, the 14-year-old YouTube blogger. She’s my heightened prediction of what effect all this harmful media might have on our children, but her voice comes to me very naturally. Probably because I have the musical taste of a teenager.

“She tackles difficult subjects using silly voices and swear words”. Is any topic fair game at a stand-up gig?
I think we actually have to talk about things like racism, sexism, etcetera on stage. That’s what’s happening in the world, so to ignore it would be weird. Comedy is just the medium through which I protest because it’s what I know how to do. And there’s a great tradition of it. From Shakespeare’s fools via Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman to John Oliver and Bridget Christie, some of the most revolutionary social commentary has come from comedians. It’s a shame, then, that comedy isn’t taken seriously, and funded properly, as an art form.
No subject should be off-limits, but how you approach it is the key. Comedians often talk about “punching up” – targeting your jokes at the people perpetrating the thing rather than the victim. It’s easy: just don’t be a dick, unless you’re being a dick about other dicks. Unless your name is Joan Rivers, and then you can say whatever the hell you want, because you’re Joan Rivers.

Megan Ford: Feminasty Wardrobe Theatre, Saturday Jan 9. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/megan-ford-feminasty