Caught in the Crosshairs: Feminist Comedians and the Culture Wars Amber Day (Bryant University) 9780253073143

The landscape of comedy has undergone a seismic shift in recent years with an increasing number of female comedians breaking through to mainstream audiences. Fueled by industry trends favoring niche projects and edgier content, women are claiming high-profile roles as late-night hosts, sketch comedians, television producers, and stand-up stars. At the same time, they have become lightning rods for controversy, facing online attacks and disdain from alt-right groups and conservative media.

Reactions to outspoken female comedians have grown more polarized, yet, amid vitriol and trolling, these performers have sparked impassioned public discussions, prompting cultural self-reflection and challenging entrenched norms. Caught in the Crosshairs delves not only into the work of feminist icons like Samantha Bee, Amy Schumer, Leslie Jones, Michelle Wolf, and Hannah Gadsby, but also into the discourse surrounding their comedy. Author Amber Day argues that these debates transcend mere entertainment; they are cultural battlegrounds for larger philosophical and political conflicts, interrogating the essence of womanhood, power dynamics, and privilege. This type of popular culture serves as a primary arena where societal beliefs and ideologies are disseminated and contested.

Caught in the Crosshairs is an examination of how feminist comedy reflects the tensions of our times, disrupting established narratives and challenging traditional power structures.

Amber Day is Professor of Media and Performance Studies and Chair of the History, Literature, and the Arts Department at Bryant University. She is author of Satire and Dissent: Interventions in Contemporary Political Debate (IUP, 2011) and editor of DIY Utopia: Cultural Imagination and the Remaking of the Possible.