Debra DiGiovanni woke up this morning with a Google alert telling her she was unattractive. “The first words I read were, Sexually unappealing Debra DiGiovanni…’ she says. “And I thought, Uh-oh. Good morning!'”
Little did she know that an article in the National Post about a symposium on self-deprecating female comics would feature a big photo of her (“taken,” she says, “from their files from 2007 or so”), allusions to her comedy act and so-called experts all talking about her.
Yet no one had called to ask her to comment before the piece was published.
“It was a complete and utter surprise,” she says. “No one told me at all. My agent later looked into it, and apparently at this symposium in Kitchener there’s a whole panel on Debra DiGiovanni.”
And no invitation to have the subject of the panel – who lives an hour away – show up?
“No,” she says, adding: “Maybe I’m too expensive.”
The writer of the piece did admit that “DiGiovanni’s one of the most recognizable and successful Canadian women in the male dominated field of stand-up comedy.”
But even that irks her.
“I’m upset about why we have to keep writing about women in comedy,” she says, referencing Christopher Hitchens’ infamous “Why Women Aren’t Funny” Vanity Fair article from 2007. “I don’t understand why it’s such an important deal. We’re all just comedians.”
The Post piece doesn’t explore how self-deprecating humour crosses gender lines. Comics like Chuck Byrn, Mark Little and Alex Nussbaum regularly mention their physical shortcomings in their acts.
“Yes! And what about Louis C.K.?” says DiGiovanni. “Look at his I’m a loser, no one will fuck me…’ act. But these pieces always concentrate on women. Male comics are never called ugly.’ It’s always the quirky Will Ferrell’ or something like that. Obviously it’s unfair.”
Still, there’s a saying that no publicity is bad publicity for a reason.
“People are talking about me,” she laughs, “but not in the way that I would like to be discussed. It’s a little surreal. It’s very Oprah! But where’s my Steadman when I need him?”
On Twitter, she’s called for her people to cancel their Post subscriptions.
“That would be nice,” she says. “Hit them where it hurts. Take away some of their money. That’s the only thing that matters, right. Even if 10 people cancel their subscriptions [it’ll make a difference]. Although I can’t believe 10 people actually subscribe to it – it’s barely a paper.”
And will she use this attention in her act?
“Are you kidding?” she jokes. “I’m already writing stuff down. I have the first act of my one-woman show done already. And I’ve made a banner with the words Miss Ugly, 2012.”
Maybe she’ll wear it when she joins the Just For Laughs Canada tour later this year and does her fourth Just For Laughs gala in Montreal in July.
“Yup – ugly girls get galas! Know it, baby!”
