Growing up in China, I have been told by my parents and people around me that because I’m a girl, I should lay low and hold back from expressing my thoughts so that I wouldn’t “offend anyone” or “cause trouble”.
I know my parents came from good intentions — they lived through difficult times themselves and they didn’t want me to get hurt.
So for the first 20-something years of my life, I “played it safe” and suppressed my voice. I was often the awkward kid at any social occasions, nervous about speaking up and fearing that I would “say the wrong thing” when I expressed myself.
Until the first time when I saw Ali Wong’s Netflix Special in 2018.
Back then, I was a depressed IT auditor working overtime with my friend at a Big 4 accounting firm’s office. Both of us were burnt out and desperate to destress.
So, with the little rebellious energy we had, we grabbed a meeting room and played Baby Cobra — the first comedy special we found on Netflix on my work laptop and projected it on the big screen.
Only 10 minutes in, we were already rolling on the floor laughing in tears like two crazy idiots.
“I don’t wanna lean in; I wanna lie down.” I still remember how much I resonated with that line from Ali Wong. I thought to myself, “I can’t believe she just said it!!! She is so honest and bold!!! And that’s AWESOME!!!”
It was the first time I saw a Asian female comedian expressing her voice in such an unfiltered and unapologetic way. Hearing those waves of laughter she got from the audience, I felt a surge of inspiration in my body. She has done something that I used to think was impossible — being loud, crazy and hilarious IN PUBLIC as an Asian woman. I freaking LOVED that spark of madness! I want to see more of that!!
Fast forward to Feb 2020, when I did what I thought was impossible — performing my very first stand-up set at my Second City graduation show in front of 80 people, I felt the same surge of inspiration. I fell in love with making people laugh. I got addicted to sparking joy.
And then the pandemic hit. All comedy venues were closed down, so I started doing standup comedy on Zoom. Thanks to the rise of virtual comedy, I connected with some of the most talented Asian female comedians I’ve met from around the world across 4 different continents.
This eventually led to my nomadic comedy journey in 2022 after borders opened up. I performed standup in NYC, SF, LA, and Honolulu (check out some clips on my Youtube channel); I met up with those funny Asian ladies I’ve done Zoom shows with at each city.
And I started to realize — Asian female comedians deserve more recognition!
Many people have heard of comedy icons like Ali Wong and Margaret Cho. Many friends and comedy fans have told me how inspired they are to see Asian females rising up in comedy, and they are craving for MORE — more representation, more talent, more unique powerful voices.
As a comedian myself, I know how many years of hard work it takes to get BIG in the world of comedy and performing art. It usually takes 10+ years of grinding, or even more, for a comedian to “make it” to the public’s eyes with a comedy special.
I have seen so many talented upcoming Asian female & nonbinary comedians who are challenging social norms, bridging cultural gaps and expressing their voices to bring joy to people. Yet in our early comedy career, we often remain unknown to the world’s comedy lovers.
Imagine how cool it would be if you get to know the future Ali Wong/Margaret Cho’s early in their comedy career! It’s about time for the world to hear more Asian female voices than the ones we saw on Netflix & HBO!!!
Asian friends and fams around the world, I’m presenting to you Asian Wonder Women, an international online comedy show to celebrate upcoming Asian female & nonbinary comedy talent from around the world!!
To accommodate for global audience in different time zones, the Asian Wonder Women pilot shows on August 21 will consist of 2 parts starting at 10:30AM EST and 9:00PM EST, featuring 14 very talented Asian female & nonbinary comedians from 10+ cities, 7+ countries, and 4+ continents!!!
I can’t express how excited I am about the talent on the pilot line-up. Everyone of them has inspired me in my early comedy career.
When I first heard nonbinary Malaysian comedian Juliana Heng’s comedy bits on autism, it was the first time I heard an Asian comedian joking about neurodivergence. It helped me embrace my own weird ADHD quirks and find humor from it.
When I first saw San Francisco-based comedian Cathy Zhao doing the opening acts for the legendary Margaret Cho at San Jose Improv after days of practicing her craft at open mics and bar shows, I was so proud to see my friend shining with her hard work paid off.
When I first performed at Absolute Comedy Toronto’s Pro/Am Night, Jen Sakato was the pro host & headliner at the show. She got several hilarious riffs with the audience throughout her set with her spontaneous commentaries. And I still remembered how warm and fuzzy I felt as a newbie when she told me “great job” after my set.
And these are only a few examples of the amazing Asian Comedy Queens on the Aug 21 lineup. I have seen all of them perform and know how passionate they are about the craft — and I want to see them get more recognition.
Will you help me recognize these kickass Asian women?
Support their rise to stardom by building their global following in their early comedy career?
Or, just join us in celebrating Asian female/non-binary talent by laughing our asses off?
Get your ticket at:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/asian-wonder-women-comedy-show-tickets-377667392337
Note: This is a pay-what-you-can show; all proceeds will be split amongst the featured comedians. Suggested donation is $10 but no pressure :)
Thank you so much for reading!!!
