ABORTION BARBIE
This year, comedian Shirley Whalen, 28, made it into the semifinals of the SiriusXM Top Comic competition. She knew exactly what set she wanted to do—it was her best work. So, she got up onstage and did seven minutes about getting an abortion. It happened to be some of the best, most exhilarating standup to come out of Canada in the past few years: smart, fearless—and hilarious. While Whalen didn’t make it to the finals, her performance got the second-highest number of video views and sparked a lot of conversations—including this one: »
When did you decide to write about your
abortion? “I started writing about it as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It was always such a huge fear of mine, but when it happened, it wasn’t a big deal at all. I just wanted to scream about it everywhere at the top of my lungs to show other women that they can stop living in that fear and shame.” What was the hardest part of writing this material? “Finding a way to address the discomfort of the audience and get them on my side.” How did you feel performing it for the first time? “SO LIBERATED.” How do audiences react? “Loud! Lots of people clap, some scream and
some gasp and cover their mouths. They always recoil when I talk about wearing my ‘Uh-Oh’ T-shirt to the clinic, and I say ‘Haven’t even started yet and already killin’ it!’ I usually recoil with them before I move on.” How have your feelings about the procedure and this routine evolved as you perform this material more and more? “I felt comfortable with the procedure from the beginning, but I’ve seen other people’s feelings about it evolve as I perform this material, including my family’s. I never expected them to be so proud of me for having an abortion! I used to worry especially about the reactions of people in my parents’
generation and older, but they seem to appreciate it the most.”
What were the reactions online? “I was worried about what people would say with their shield of anonymity, but most of the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. I engaged with a few of the negative comments, and every person I interacted with backed down. Eventually, strangers started defending me on their own.” What was your favourite interaction? “There was a guy on Reddit who tried to insult me by comparing me to Hannah Gadsby and inadvertently gave me the wonderful nickname ‘Abortion Barbie.’ I love it so much. I had it printed on T-shirts.”