INTERVIEW
“ I USE THE TERM‘ ROLLING A
POO IN GLITTER’ TO DESCRIBE TALKING ABOUT TABOO TOPICS, USING COMEDY AS A FORM OF
COMMUNICATION TO EDUCATE.”
What would you say are your biggest barriers for being a feminist cartoonist?
Currently, I’ d say it’ s been hate speech and threats. It’ s been a gradual build-up to the hate speech. As you would expect, the more followers you gain, the more hate you gain too. That’ s always the way with whatever you do. But I think in some ways I’ m more subjected to it. I remember once, I posted about feminism, and it got shared to a men’ s rights subreddit. From there, they found my account and the threats I got became serious really quickly.
Image: Lily O’ Farrell
Because of that, I felt like I had to change what I was saying online and, in my cartoons, in order to avoid things like that happening. It’ s such a hard thing to deal with because I feel like I, as a woman, am having to silence my voice just to protect myself, and that’ s not right.
Has there ever been a specific time that you feel like you’ ve not had your voice heard?
I feel like my voice is heard online, especially because I have such an amazing community of people who want to hear what I’ m saying. But, when I talk offline, I find it really difficult. For example, if I say the F word or the P word, which is feminism or patriarchy, people instantly shut off and don’ t want to hear it.
That’ s why Instagram is my safe haven when it comes to my work, because when I try and translate my cartoons into offline social situations, I have to sugarcoat my opinions just to get someone to listen to me. The words I use have such a stigma attached to them, but I don’ t think we should find some alternative for the word feminism, because it’ s about women’ s rights and we shouldn’ t have to keep adapting to what others don’ t like.
I do find that a lot of the time, people make remarks or don’ t want to listen to what I have to say when I do my stand-up comedy about feminism. One time, I had a 10-minute set where I spoke about feminism and the death threats I’ d received, obviously, in a
Comic strip presenting the differences in expectations between men and women
funny way. But this older male comedian got on stage after me and kept referring to me as‘ woke’. The point I was getting across in my set was that I don’ t want to be killed and that women shouldn’ t be murdered. I find it funny that a man would consider me as woke [ alert to injustice in society ] because of that.
I guess you could say my voice comes and goes, but it doesn’ t bother me as much anymore. As I said, I have an amazing community online amongst my followers and I know they listen and they relate. At the end of the day, I use my voice to share my opinions and I will never stop doing that. It’ s up to everyone else whether they want to hear them.
Interview by Holly Harris
You can find Lily O’ Farrell’ s work on Instagram: @ vulgadrawings
ISSUE 5 SLEUTH 23