The Funny Girls Club & Why I Want In

I’m in the middle of reading Mindy Kaling’s new book, Why Not Me, and can I just say that I am so in love with everything about it.

Here’s what I love about Mindy- she’s the perfect mix of confidence and self-deprecation. She laughs at herself. She laughs at the industry and it’s ridiculous standards. But she has gumption. She unapologetically believes in herself, her talents, and her general awesomness without taking it all too seriously. I dig that.

She’s also completely open about being a socially anxious elitist.

And who isn’t, really?

Everyone wants to be on the inside of some kind of club, and admittedly, Mindy herself is not exempt from such suffering. In both of her books, she essentially invites us to be in her club. It’s like she gave us the secret password and handshake, and for a few hours we get to sneak in through the back door and hang out at the party. We may be the fringe people of the club, but she invited us in and I love that about her.

Like any good friend would, she tells us secrets- like how she really feels about being “the funny one” of the sorority (no one wants to be the court jester), and how sometimes being equally grateful and ambitious in her career is like walking a tightrope (read: it’s a literal booby trap).

She tells us how basically everyone, everywhere in Hollywood wears fake hair.

I knew it!

I knew it in my knower!

Thank you for blowing the horn on that one Mindy. Me and my seven strands of hair don’t feel so bad about ourselves now. All of us girls with thin, lame hair are pumping our fist in the air, because we are liberated. It’s not our fault. We are not weird. No one’s hair is actually that amazing on it’s own.

In the last year I’ve read a few other books by some other funny ladies- Bossypants by Tina Fey, Yes Please by Amy Poehler… Not surprisingly they all seem to know each other and be friends, furthering my belief that there is an actual Funny Girl’s Club that exists, and all I know is I WANT IN.

I’m still waiting for Kristin Wiig to write a book. I’d be the first person in line to buy it. Incidentally, I’m also still waiting for someone to invent Kristin Wiig emojis. I mean seriously- why is this not a thing yet? People would use those things daily. She has a face for every occasion. In fact, someone needs to invent emoji’s for all the women in The Funny Girl’s Club.

But for now, we have memes and GIFs. And Thank God, because they basically cover all my feelings about life.

“It’s like my whole life is constantly buffering.”

“My husband just admitted he hasn’t read my blog in weeks.”

“I’ve been drinking water and eating healthy for weeks and I still have to do deep knee bends to get my jeans on. Cheers. None of it works.”

“Why? Why can’t writing be as easy as “Dear Diary?”

“I don’t know how to dance but this definitely feels right.”

“Oh, you don’t want to do your homework, or go to bed, or eat what I made for dinner? I’m riveted. Please tell me more.”

“I just ate too much Taco Bell. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m here for you. Shhhh. There, there. I want to hear about your day but also Scandal is on TV.”

“Shut up. Stop it. Stop it right now. But no seriously, keep going.”

Here’s what I love about the Kristins, the Tinas, the Amys, the Mayas, and the Mindys of the world: There is no vanity in their comedy. These are beautiful, funny, whip-smart women who have no problem ditching any sense of self-preservation in pursuit of sharp comedy.

And like all things that are really funny, it’s because there’s an element of truth to it. These ladies find that element of truth and they commit to it. They truly believe that it doesn’t matter if it’s cute, as long as it’s funny.

That is the club I want to be in.