Why women aren't funny...no, seriously.

So I know I may offend some of my female friends out there, which is dangerous because they're my primary readers, but I'm going to take a chance and try to articulate a point here. A friend of mine dropped this Vanity Fair article in my lap today (published back in 2007) and lo and behold - it is authored by a man. Now I know a lot has changed since this article was published but I think I need to agree with the author on this one. Women, as a sex in general, are not particularly funny. And I think this for a number of reasons.

One being that I think sometimes women rely too much on "slut" humor, which does more harm than good in my opinion. A woman poking fun at herself for her sexual exploits can be funny, yes. But it's neither witty nor charming. Could you see a man degrading himself in such a way for a laugh? Or what about the flip side of that coin, the "I can't stand to think about sex, I'd rather be watching TV/working/insert another excuse here" school of thought? Really? We've come to renouncing our sexuality.

Also, the self-depricating thing is great and all, and lets be honest, we've all done it to get a chuckle out of our friends and family, but is that the message we want to be sending? You never hear a guy taking pity on himself for a laugh. You're life may be a joke at the moment, (I've come to realize much of your twenties seems to be a joke...I'm still waiting for the punchline) but it's a joke that only your girlfriends are supposed to get. Not dinner party guests or a first date.

***Full disclosure, I have used all of these "humor"(less) tactics myself. Alas, my sarcasm does get the better of me. And sure, my girl friends and I have gotten a few good laughs in, I can't lie.

In all honesty, the main reason I think women aren't considered to be "funny" is because true humor comes from being completely and totally at home in your skin. Humor comes from a place of normalcy, from a place of total vulnerability. A lot of women are too busy putting on a facade that they forget to be themselves.

 Would you like an example? Take funny girl Zooey D. on Fox's "New Girl." She is actually funny. But it's not at her own expense, it's not because she's slutty and it's not because she's a prude. She's funny because she is who she is, she embraces her awkwardness and she says what she's thinking and feeling. Another example: remember Elaine from "Seinfeld?" She was the woman in the midst of all those men but she was herself - she wasn't fitting a mold. How awesome was it that she caved and lost "the bet" before the guys did?

I say this just as much for myself as for anyone else, but really, the best thing we can do as women is just be ourselves. Realize we're not alone, we have a lot to offer, and the more open and honest with ourselves, the more real our relationships become. I bet we'd be surprised at how funny we can be.