Punchlines and paradigms: how stand up comedy challenges gendered norms through humor in China

This study investigates how female comedians on the Chinese talk show Stand-Up Comedy use humor to challenge entrenched gendered norms, combining performance analysis with audience reception research. Drawing on Butler’s theory of gender performativity, the research examines stand-up transcripts, Danmu (real-time on-screen bullet comments), and viewer discussions on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform, to explore how comedians employ satire, irony, and absurdity to critique patriarchal expectations surrounding marriage, chastity, and menstruation. Findings reveal that humor operates as a subversive strategy, exposing the normalization of gendered expectations through everyday speech, family rituals, and cultural taboos. Digital platforms further amplify these critiques, positioning comedy as a site of feminist discourse and cultural negotiation. While some male backlash underscores resistance to gender critique, the study argues that stand-up comedy functions as vernacular feminist pedagogy, using laughter and repetition to destabilize gender norms and foster collective reflection. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of humor’s role in gender politics and its potential to generate broader social reflection and change.