Medium - The Internet Is Bringing Honest, Provocative Comedy To Women In India

I said two words — vagina and sex,” says Anshita Koul, “and everybody in my home town, including my family, was shocked.”

Koul was talking about her participation in Queens of Comedy, an India-based reality show for female comedians. “At least I have an equation with my family,” she adds. “There is always dialogue, even when it gets really awkward.”

The internet has become an important vehicle for female comedians to be heard, even when their humor falls outside the bounds of conventional acceptability. Without official censorship guidelines, video-streaming websites and online platforms are telling women’s stories that are not conceptualized and approved by men.