Why I’ve ditched ‘slimming’ clothes on stage as a female comedian
WORDS BY JESS FUCHS
“Finally, I’m embracing my love of all things bright, bold and bawdy.”
When you’re a comedian, you have a moment to win over an audience. I’m talking about the actual seconds when audiences make subconscious decisions about you. Naturally, what you wear plays a huge part in this.
Without ruffling too many feathers (which are also my current clothing obsession), I’ve made it my life’s mission to rebel against the hoax of ‘slimming’ clothing. I spent the better half of my personal and professional life ‘tricking’ people with vertical prints, shapewear, V-necks, ruching, cinched waists, heels (to elongate the legs) and layers. Oh, so many layers. Do these things and, like a magician, maybe you can convince people you’ve just about disappeared!
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I’m a plus-size, fat, plump, voluptuous, whatever makes you least uncomfortable, female comedian. These two parts of my identity – being a woman and being fat – were in a tug of war for a long time. I battled with my gender presentation, avoiding anything overly feminine on stage for fear it would devalue my performance.
I thought if I was going to fight the ‘women aren’t funny’ stereotype, I needed people to focus on my jokes, not my gender. I allowed my own internalised sexism to take over. I believed wearing patternless, colourless and layered outfits would force people to take me seriously as a professional joker. A heartbreaking, unspoken side effect of internalised sexism? Wearing ugly clothes. Such a shame!
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My avoidance of clothing that fed the male gaze involved cloaking my body in slimming pieces to distract people from noticing I was fat. Sure we’ve made some big, fat, plus-size strides in body positivity – thanks to public figures such as advocate and icon Lizzo. But we still live in a world where body types are subject to being trendy.
‘Heroin chic’ is returning with a hungry vengeance, buccal fat is being removed and martinis are now served with a shot of Ozempic in Hollywood. Looking thin is once again being gobbled up by the fashion industry, and the proof is in the pudding. Only 0.6 per cent of models were plus size across all 2023 Fashion Week runways, a decrease from previous years.
So, with the narrative of ‘thin is desirable’ being shoved down our throats, how did I evolve? I was in Spanx before I was out of diapers. Bit dramatic? Sure. But so is trying to remove shapewear in a tiny bathroom cubicle at a wedding because it’s midnight and I’ve given up the ruse that part of my hips doesn’t jut out. I could barely breathe or dance, two essential human needs.
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I started experimenting with my clothing in my personal life before I was brave enough to do so in front of a crowd. As my career progressed, I spent more time on stage. I couldn’t always dip home before a show to swap out a fabulous outfit for something bland.
While I performed to bigger and bigger crowds, my confidence grew and I noticed the playfulness of my eccentric clothing choices bled into my stage presence. Birthdays came and went, and as I aged, I embraced my body. I worked hard to subvert the internalised notion that ‘skinny is pretty’, which also led to the realisation that clothing is so much more than just a way to hide.
I started studying the styles of comedians I love. Women like Catherine Cohen, Marie Faustin, Atsuko Okatsuka and Ziwe have such distinct, unapologetic, bold styles and voices. It’s in part why they’re such consequential comedians in the current landscape.
Why are we wasting another second on the optical illusion that is slimming clothing? My body doesn’t need architectural tricks, like the ones they used on the columns of the Pantheon. My strength on stage, as a comedian, completely changed once I realised this.
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It was almost as if wearing bold colours, bright patterns, gaudy jewellery and outrageous make-up unlocked another dimension of creative expression. I’m now on the other side, which actually does have much greener grass and much nicer clothing.
Clothing can still sometimes feel like a battle, and as a female comedian, I spent a shameful chunk of my career donning camouflage to hide myself and my body in the hopes I’d be taken seriously. Finally, I’m embracing my love of all things bright, bold and bawdy. It’s made me a better artist, performer and woman.
Jess Fuchs is a Sydney-based stand-up comedian and writer. Her new comedy show, Chill Girl Era, will debut at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival at The Factory Theatre.
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