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Can Attractive Women and Men Also Be Funny? [POLL]

In Beauty by Kim Muraro , on Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 1:04 PM (PDT)
can pretty women be funny
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Yes, Sadly, Some People Are Asking That Question 

If there's a female on the planet who's funnier than Tina Fey, we have yet to find her. And we also think Fey is, despite the fact that she cultivates a dorky, geeky persona, quite fetching.

We also happen to think women like Sofia Vergara and Julie Bowen, both stars of the Emmy-winning comedy Modern Family, are funny, but Deadline.com editor and longtime Hollywood critic Nikki Finke disagrees.

Read: Men, Women: Both Looking for Funny, Sexy Mates

Finke took the occasion of Bowen's Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series on Sunday to share her feelings with the group, and they boil down to this: if you're pretty, you're not funny.

Wrote Finke: "Listen up, Hollywood: Beautiful actresses are not funny. They don't know how to do comedy … Only women who grew up ugly and stayed ugly, or through plastic surgery became beautiful, can pull off sitcoms or standups … Because it's all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you. So stop casting beautiful actresses when you should be giving ugly women a chance."

Wow.

While we certainly agree with some of the nuggets of what Finke is saying -- past experiences, particularly painful ones, are often at the heart of what sparks great comedy -- her blunt statement suggests she thinks only ugly people experience emotional pain.

It's also disturbing, of course, how easily and repeatedly Finke flings the word "ugly" around. It's subjective, obviously, and just such a harsh and, well, ugly word to use.

Read: Sad New Trend: Tweens Posting 'Am I Ugly?' Videos to YouTube

In her "defense," as Jezebel.com points out, Finke also wrote, "This also applies to handsome men, by the way."

Really, Nikki Finke? Clearly you've never seen Jon Hamm host Saturday Night Live or guest star on 30 Rock. Because it doesn't get much more handsome or funny than Jon Hamm.

But tell us:

Take Our Poll

Can attractive women and men also be funny?

  1. Yes, of course. It's ridiculous that this is even a question.
  2. There are a few, but they are exceptions.
  3. No. I completely agree that beautiful people haven't experienced the pain and rejection necessary to create great comedy.
VOTE

Results

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