What has feminism done for you lately? Made it possible to say “pussy” on basic cable, for one. Because while Comedy Central has seen its share of swear-word-related innovations over the years (remember the South Park episode where they said “shit” 162 times?), it was Inside Amy Schumer’s self-described “feminist agenda” that led to the word “pussy” being uttered for the first time outside of Pussy Riot news stories and juvenile insults on TV.
Schumer and her creative team sat down for a panel at the New York Comedy Festival over the weekend, where they talked about the many positive impacts the show has had on society, including (or so they claim) getting Aaron Sorkin to apologize for The Newsroom and the aforementioned liberation of the word “pussy.”
The latter was the result of a personal crusade by executive producer Dan Powell, a quest that Schumer jokingly referred to as “Dan’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Powell’s mission began when he discovered that Comedy Central’s standards department allowed the use of “dick” to refer to male genitalia while banning “pussy” in reference to female genitalia. (Using “pussy” to call someone weak, as in “I’d rather be a crying little pussy than a faggy goth kid,” has always been and remains okay.) Incensed, Powell wrote a letter to network higher-ups, “sort of like I’d write to my congressman, and I guess it struck a chord.” A conference call with executives followed, and Powell successfully argued in favor of lifting the ban on “pussy.”
Anyone on Comedy Central is now free to use the word, but it was said uncensored for the first time in a sketch where Schumer is hired to voice a character in an animated movie alongside Jessica Alba and Megan Fox, only to discover her character is a overweight meerkat named Dumpy with a fondness for eating worms. Dumpy also has no pants, which means her—you guessed it—pussy is prominently displayed. You’re welcome, future generations.