Like many Americans, I had never heard of Michelle Wolf before the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.  Her speech sent shockwaves over the Internet, but as with many online cries of outrage, it was difficult to find the cause amidst the chaos.  I had never heard the joke that many had chastised Wolf for telling, one purportedly aimed at Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ smokey eye, before she became a target for conservative and liberal pundits alike.  Many rumblings accused her of attacking other women when she should be empowering them.  The joke in question?  Regarding the White House press secretary Sanders, Wolf said, ‘I think she’s very resourceful, like she burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye.’  

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The biggest criticism seemed to stem from the fact that Wolf had commented on Sanders’ looks, a frequent sore spot for women in media.  If Wolf had been making fun of Sanders’ appearance, I would agree with these criticisms.  In my opinion, Wolf said very little about makeup but rather lampooned Sanders’ own complicity in “alternative facts,” (a reference to the Trump administration’s  reputation for eschewing the truth).  To me, those who missed the joke did so specifically because they focused on the makeup instead of the fact-burning.  Which perhaps says more about them than it does about Wolf.

Not that Wolf is particularly bothered. She couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to her new Netflix TV show, ‘The Break with Michelle Wolf.’  The show follows the format of her previous alma maters, ‘The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,’ and ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ as a weekly comedic news and talk show, meant to be a lighthearted respite from the deluge of headlines in the Information Age.  Lighthearted, yes, but Wolf’s program isn’t feather-light in terms of subject-matter. In its second episode, Wolf riffs off the #MeToo Movement, joking that the ubiquitous phrase should be replaced by something less often used, like #Twinsies.  

Her humor continuously mixes dark and light.  For example, Wolf performed a skit for a rape whistle that never stopped sounding, for it is nearly impossible to know when a situation could turn dangerous.  For Wolf, the perils of womanhood have become so commonplace that they have to be laughed at.  As a woman, Wolf is also in a position to comment on these issues in a seemingly offhanded way.  It’s hard to accuse someone of minimizing an experience they live every day when they already know the harsh realities.

In the recent news cycle, female comedians have been censored for a variety of reasons, some gender-based, some not.  Roseanne Barr had her recently-revived TV show pulled by ABC after a racist tweet against Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to President Obama.  Roseanne was hardly commenting on the female experience, or critiquing political policy in a thoughtful, albeit barbed, way.  Roseanne instead compared Jarrett to a terrorist organization and an ape in the same breath.  As many pointed out, it was hardly the first time Roseanne had shared unsavory views on social media, but this time was just blatant enough to get her show off the air.

For Wolf, the perils of womanhood have become so commonplace that they have to be laughed at.

Fast forward just a few days later when conservatives demanded that Samantha Bee, host of ‘Full Frontal,’ be taken off air for inappropriate language.  Bee had called Ivanka Trump a ‘feckless c*nt.’  The epithet in its greater context referred to Trump’s hand in glaring human rights violations, specifically her complicity in ICE deportations.  But no one talked about that, because Bee’s impassioned word choice overshadowed the meaning it was supposed to convey.  Michelle Wolf defended Bee, as a comedian frequently frustrated by the pressure to be nice and agreeable.  Yes, women should have the license to critique other women and they should have the luxury to be candid (and even at times, biting).  

Yes, certain critiques, when made by women and not men, can be constructive instead of misogynistic.  That being said, Bee has a responsibility as a satire comedian to make sure her jokes contain substance, and name-calling — however justified it may seem — takes the focus away from that sharper critique at heart.  Bee distracted her viewers from the larger message and gave critics an opening to attack.  Was the backlash stronger because she was a woman?  Possibly, and probably.  But ultimately, Bee missed an opportunity to hit deeper, instead going for blunt force.

That’s where Wolf comes in. Like her namesake, she has her nose on the scent of American politics, and she’s going for the jugular.  One of her first segments, ‘Women I’m Not Supporting Right Now,’ is adding nuance to the so-called feminist monolith, asserting that women are indeed individuals capable of making their own decisions — and some of those decisions are bad.  The idea that all women are inherently beyond reproach is just as reductive as any other sexist myth, but it’s a matter of performing critique in a productive, substantial way.  Wolf may call her show ‘The Break,’ but she’s not resting anytime soon.

 

Brooke Kushwaha is a rising junior at Wesleyan University.  Her writing can be found on The Wesleyan Argus and on the satire website, The Wesleyan Groundhog.