What does it mean to be one of the girls, when you're a boy?!
In 'Girls Girls Girls', Kiwi comedian Jake Howie – who now calls Australia home – is going to take audiences through his credentials – because being one of the boys or one of the girls, is about anything but gender.
When it comes to comedy credentials, Jake made his start back in 2014 on the London stand-up scene and won the Reading Comedy Festival New Act Of The Year in 2015. He's been to acting school and appeared in numerous advertisements, performed at comedy clubs throughout the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and played his solo show to festivals.
In 2021, Jake was also hand-picked to perform as part of the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras' 'Laugh Out Proud'.
Before this rising star takes to the stage for , he's written a letter to the girls.
“To the girls,
I was born one of the 'girls' with two older sisters. Everyone felt sorry for me when we did Spice Girls routines, even though I’d instigated it and demanded to be Geri (Girl Power!). My sisters were merely letting me in on the girly adventures that seemed like so much more fun. Who wants to play video games during raining school holidays when you can play shop, serving each other over makeshift counters at the Library, Clothes Shop and Restaurant like real adults? So glam, so glorious, so GIRLY.
I always felt bad not liking things that were for the 'boys'. My favourite movie was 'Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion', but I pretended it was 'Batman'. . . And that was only because Uma Thurman looked so cool as Poison Ivy and Alicia Silverstone was Batgirl (ermm, 'Clueless' is like the girly 'Godfather'!)
They’re not that different, I guess. Both movies are about best friends in tight lycra trying to save the world from their bullies. Difference is, Romy and Michele had cooler fashion and better jokes. I remember girly romantic comedies that made me believe in real love were passed off as chick flick trash, when 'Transformers' was hailed as a 'good look at how society shapeshifts'. I remember thinking: 'Jennifer Lopez being a maid in Manhattan who marries a world leader is less believable than a car that turns into a robot dinosaur? Boys stuff sucks!' But the boys persisted – 'Transformers is about how we’re all, like, able to transform over time – whoaaaa!' I’d be like yeah, and we’re all hot maids looking for president-level dick, what’s your point?
But what choice did I have other than to embrace my status as one of the girls? My mum was a natural-born leader who would boldly make sh.t happen in chunky bangles and flowy floral dresses. Girliness never meant weakness, she was strong and feminine. To this day, I’ve never not seen my mum without full hair and makeup. She would wake us up with a bold red lip, organising our lunch box like she was about to do the Superbowl halftime show.
My sisters were gentle yet protective, making sure no one bullied me at school and letting me plait their hair to look pretty. My friends would refuse to not invite me to events that were 'No Boys Allowed', wanting my take on their boyfriends' weird sex face or the fact his foot convulses when he cums. They’d make me feel better when a boy wasn’t texting back with a sigh, followed by: 'well, he obviously is so in love with you he’s frozen in the fear of losing you and blinded by your sparkle'. Part of me almost believed them.
And me, always accessing the girl within. It wasn’t hard with all you girls cheering me on.
So, here’s an open letter to the girls who raised me, the girls who befriended me, and the girl within.
Pink is pretty, glitter is cool, and we can all finally admit we’d rather a Britney banger than rock-metal-angry-boy-anthem bore.
Let’s hear it for the girls!”
I was born one of the 'girls' with two older sisters. Everyone felt sorry for me when we did Spice Girls routines, even though I’d instigated it and demanded to be Geri (Girl Power!). My sisters were merely letting me in on the girly adventures that seemed like so much more fun. Who wants to play video games during raining school holidays when you can play shop, serving each other over makeshift counters at the Library, Clothes Shop and Restaurant like real adults? So glam, so glorious, so GIRLY.
I always felt bad not liking things that were for the 'boys'. My favourite movie was 'Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion', but I pretended it was 'Batman'. . . And that was only because Uma Thurman looked so cool as Poison Ivy and Alicia Silverstone was Batgirl (ermm, 'Clueless' is like the girly 'Godfather'!)
They’re not that different, I guess. Both movies are about best friends in tight lycra trying to save the world from their bullies. Difference is, Romy and Michele had cooler fashion and better jokes. I remember girly romantic comedies that made me believe in real love were passed off as chick flick trash, when 'Transformers' was hailed as a 'good look at how society shapeshifts'. I remember thinking: 'Jennifer Lopez being a maid in Manhattan who marries a world leader is less believable than a car that turns into a robot dinosaur? Boys stuff sucks!' But the boys persisted – 'Transformers is about how we’re all, like, able to transform over time – whoaaaa!' I’d be like yeah, and we’re all hot maids looking for president-level dick, what’s your point?
But what choice did I have other than to embrace my status as one of the girls? My mum was a natural-born leader who would boldly make sh.t happen in chunky bangles and flowy floral dresses. Girliness never meant weakness, she was strong and feminine. To this day, I’ve never not seen my mum without full hair and makeup. She would wake us up with a bold red lip, organising our lunch box like she was about to do the Superbowl halftime show.
My sisters were gentle yet protective, making sure no one bullied me at school and letting me plait their hair to look pretty. My friends would refuse to not invite me to events that were 'No Boys Allowed', wanting my take on their boyfriends' weird sex face or the fact his foot convulses when he cums. They’d make me feel better when a boy wasn’t texting back with a sigh, followed by: 'well, he obviously is so in love with you he’s frozen in the fear of losing you and blinded by your sparkle'. Part of me almost believed them.
And me, always accessing the girl within. It wasn’t hard with all you girls cheering me on.
So, here’s an open letter to the girls who raised me, the girls who befriended me, and the girl within.
Pink is pretty, glitter is cool, and we can all finally admit we’d rather a Britney banger than rock-metal-angry-boy-anthem bore.
Let’s hear it for the girls!”
Jake Howie plays Factory Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival) 4,6,7 May.
