Abstract
This paper focuses on the standup comedian Ali Wong and her three Netflix specials, Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Don Wong. Taking a corporeal feminist approach, this paper sets out to analyze pregnancy, the central topic in Wong’s comedy, and its relation to her subjectivity. It is argued that pregnancy, as an authentic female experience alongside childbirth and breastfeeding, enables Wong to challenge and thereby subvert the prevalent narratives of motherhood and sexuality, articulating a female autonomous voice. From the disciplinary body in Baby Cobra to the misshapen body in Hard Knock Wife to the sexualized body in Don Wong, the three comedy specials both witness and reveal a gradual and subtle enhancement of her subjectivity. With this regard, pregnancy as a unique female experience does not deprive her sense of self but fuels it.
Author Information
Honghui Liu, Sichuan University, China
Paper Information
Conference: ACCS2024
Stream: Cultural Studies
This paper is part of the ACCS2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Liu H. (2024) Laughter, Pregnancy, and Subjectivity: A Corporeal Feminist Interpretation of Ali Wong’s Standup Comedy ISSN: 2187-4751 – The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 267-276) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4751.2024.22
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4751.2024.22
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