Reductress was founded in 2013 by Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo. It is now a successful conglomeration of a website, Instagram page, Facebook page, Twitter account, podcasts, online shop and host of comedy events and satire workshops. The articles published on their site fall into the categories of News, Living, Entertainment, Love and Sex, Womanspiration, Print Edition, Thoughts and Style, and they all feature hilarious and shocking titles that an untrained eye might mistake for hard-hitting news.
Satirical news sites have been done before, and they are often loved by their audiences. But what makes Reductress really stand out is its emphasis on catering to a female audience. Don’t get me wrong, the headlines can be appreciated by anyone. But between the light-hearted titles like “Dog Sighing as if He Pays Rent” and “How To Practice Gratitude Without Giving Up Complaining” are other headlines criticizing rape culture and calling out the supreme court for overturning Roe v. Wade. Not to mention the shockingly specific and hilarious articles about women’s dating and sex lives. Reductress is an innovative site that has gained a loyal following for a reason.
We reached out to one of the site's founders, Sarah Pappalardo, to hear how they would explain Reductress to someone who has never heard of it. "We are a satirical women's magazine - or The Onion meets Cosmo," they said. We also asked Sarah why they think Reductress has been so successful. "I think we speak to a lot of ideas and experience that aren't represented as well in other satire pubs," they explained. "We simply sought out to have our own experiences reflected in comedy, and eventually developed our own style."
We also asked Sarah if Reductress ever receives messages from people who just don't get the joke. "Lots! Especially folks who are a bit right-wing and think our work is some kind of real representation of 'the left', or well-meaning folks who just...take life a little too seriously," they said. Lastly, Sarah wanted to add that, "We have a book coming out next year called How to Stay Productive When The World Is Ending, coming out May 2023. Stay tuned!"
Reductress’ Instagram page has 1 million followers at the moment, and it doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics. “Crime Skyrockets as Government Invents New Crimes” and “What Surprised Me Most About Becoming a Parent Was That I Was Forced To by The Government” are two recent headlines that have been shared. By combining the beloved genre of satire with topics that push the envelope of what readers are comfortable with, Reductress does an excellent job of making readers laugh and initiate discussions about hot topics.
Satire is not an easy thing to pull off, though. If you don’t know much about the origins of this style of comedy, I’ve consulted Masterclass to get a rundown of where it came from and how to use it. The person credited for popularizing satirical writing was the Greek poet Aristophanes, who wrote the comedy Lysistrata in 411 BC. This famous play involved the protagonist convincing women to withhold sex from men to try to get them to end the Peloponnesian War and is still one of the most famous examples of satire to this day.
In literature, satire is often used as a type of social commentary, similarly to how Reductress utilizes it. This can be done by using exaggeration, irony and other rhetorical devices to mock politicians, social customs, social figures or any other practices. Masterclass uses the example of Brett Easton’s American Psycho as a satirical critique of capitalism and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout as an example of satire calling out racism. The writers at Reductress are clearly progressive, but their articles sometimes mention heavy topics like sexual assault, abortion, and mental health issues to point out how ludicrous some people’s views on these topics are. They figured out that it is okay to joke about these issues when the oppressor in the situation is the butt of the joke.
Political cartoons have actually been a popular use of satire for centuries, as they originated in eighteenth-century England. Traditionally, these included depictions of a political leader or event with exaggerated features and funny captions, but today the same idea has transitioned onto our television screens. Some of the most popular sketches on Saturday Night Live over the past two decades have included imitations of the current president and/or other political leaders. Sacha Baron Cohen has also followed suit with his 2018 show Who Is America? where he interviewed politicians while disguised as various characters to catch them doing and saying incriminating things. While Cohen has received various lawsuits over the years for his antics with satirical comedy, audiences continue to eat his shows and movies right up.
If you’re interested in creating some satire pieces of your own, Masterclass also provides some techniques that you can utilize for maximum comedic effect. Irony is one of the most common components of successful satire. Using words that say the opposite of what you mean, like calling someone a genius for figuring out an extremely basic concept or commenting “I’m not sure if they’ll be able to get us a table” when entering a completely empty restaurant, is a great jumping off point for satirical writing. Hyperbole is another useful device to utilize when creating satire. Gross exaggerations can be extremely annoying in real life yet extremely effective in satire. Reductress is a master of hyperbole, as many of their headlines are insignificant occurrences that are hilarious when treated like major news events.
Conversely, understatements can work very well in satire too. Saying “it’s a little chilly outside” when there is a snow storm ravaging your street is certainly one way to provoke a response from listeners. Understatements can also be used in political cartoons by, for example, showing a president sitting in the oval office saying “the people might be a tad bit upset” while the next image shows thousands of protestors storming the capitol. Making understatements can be a great way to comment on a situation or social norm without outright stating how you feel. Similarly, allegories can be used in satirical writing to convey a message too. By presenting an image or character that actually represents something else, a message might require a more savvy reader to understand, but for those who get the joke, allegories can be extremely effective. One of the most famous examples of allegory being used in literature is George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which is simultaneously about animals on a farm and Russian Communism.
In 2016, Arielle Gordon of Vulture spoke to Nicole Silverberg, writer and associate editor of Reductress, to discuss some of the site’s success and how it criticizes a patriarchal society. Silverberg explained that Reductress is so refreshing because it goes against the grain of traditional women’s magazines and media. “[Women’s media] indoctrinates women to think that they need to be thinking about what their boyfriend or husband or friend is going to think about their actions,” she said. “They start living their life through a man’s eyes, which is a lot of what women’s media overtly encourages.” Conversely, through tongue in cheek titles and ironic jokes, Reductress conveys the message that women can be unapologetically themselves.
