--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought comedians had to have black on…" description: "\"I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards.\" — Dorothy Gish" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg" --- # I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or… ![“I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards.” quote by Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg) > “I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards.” [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker humorously notes a mistaken belief that comedians must have stereotypical visual traits, highlighting absurdity of superficial expectations. **In simple terms:** Comedians aren’t defined by appearance. Key Takeaway Talent isn’t tied to visual stereotypes. Themes humor stereotype appearance comedy Mood playful ironic Type satirical observational When to use this quote - casting decisions - marketing campaigns - media representation Key Concepts social perception identity bias Practical Applications - Challenge visual stereotypes in casting - Promote diverse comedic voices Questions to Reflect On - How do visual stereotypes affect audience expectations? - What impact does breaking appearance norms have on comedy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beard/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-faces-701697/) [Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) [Comedians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians/) [Comedians Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians-black-1248622/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Red Beards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-beards-1248623/) [Red lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-lips/) [Thought Comedians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-comedians-1248624/) ## Related quotes > [I thought comedians were the funny guy in the common room, not understanding that the flaws in my personality were actually the funny things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/i-thought-comedians-were-the-funny-guy-in-the-common-room-not/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [The media love to cover black people on the front page. After all, when you live in a society that will lock up about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/the-media-love-to-cover-black-people-on-the-front-page-after-all-when/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I've heard that Black people and Black faces don't sell magazines, but one day you're going to beg me to be on there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-ve-heard-that-black-people-and-black-faces-don-t-sell-magazines-but/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I work in comedy, journalism, media, and technology, many of which don't have a lot of black faces in visible positions. I walk through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baratunde-thurston/i-work-in-comedy-journalism-media-and-technology-many-of-which-don-t/) [Baratunde Thurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baratunde-thurston/) > [“After living in Smokey Hollow these three months my bearded face was darkened to a tan, and for more than a moment, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jenkins/after-living-in-smokey-hollow-these-three-months-my-bearded-face-was/) [Peter Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jenkins/) > [Seven out of 10 black faces you see on television are athletes. The black athlete carries the image of the black community. He carries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/seven-out-of-10-black-faces-you-see-on-television-are-athletes-the/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [I wanted to be a tragedienne. I only wanted sad parts. When mother read the press notices when I was on the road, saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-wanted-to-be-a-tragedienne-i-only-wanted-sad-parts-when-mother-read/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) > [I put on lip balm first thing in the morning and always use it before I swipe on my red lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-morris/i-put-on-lip-balm-first-thing-in-the-morning-and-always-use-it-before/) [Heather Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-morris/) > [Who dreamed that beauty passes like a dream? For these red lips, with all their mournful pride, Mournful that no new wonder may betide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/who-dreamed-that-beauty-passes-like-a-dream-for-these-red-lips-with/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [But for real, for me, I feel like with the red lipstick thing it all depends on the pair of complexion. I'm just being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/but-for-real-for-me-i-feel-like-with-the-red-lipstick-thing-it-all/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [If You want a man to notice you, just wear red lipstick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-bellucci/if-you-want-a-man-to-notice-you-just-wear-red-lipstick/) [Monica Bellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-bellucci/) > [Red lips and fragrance always top off an outfit for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/red-lips-and-fragrance-always-top-off-an-outfit-for-me/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Is that not ridiculous that people thought that Justin Bieber and I were on a vacation together, on a romantic vacation, in the Bahamas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/is-that-not-ridiculous-that-people-thought-that-justin-bieber-and-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [There's a witch under this hair. The red lips are - I don't want to call them "armor," but they're the clothes of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/there-s-a-witch-under-this-hair-the-red-lips-are-i-don-t-want-to-call/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) ## More by Dorothy Gish > [I never cease to wonder at my luck in having for my sister the woman who, more than any other woman in America, possesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-never-cease-to-wonder-at-my-luck-in-having-for-my-sister-the-woman/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) > [Do you know New York stifles me? It makes me so unhappy. There are so many things I want, and so many things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/do-you-know-new-york-stifles-me-it-makes-me-so-unhappy-there-are-so/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) > [I mean what good does it do anyone to kill themselves working, because the worms will get you in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-mean-what-good-does-it-do-anyone-to-kill-themselves-working-because/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) > [I wanted to be a tragedienne. I only wanted sad parts. When mother read the press notices when I was on the road, saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-wanted-to-be-a-tragedienne-i-only-wanted-sad-parts-when-mother-read/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) > [I'd like to make people who see me in comic pantomime on the screen feel the way Mark Twain makes his readers feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-d-like-to-make-people-who-see-me-in-comic-pantomime-on-the-screen/) [Dorothy Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) [Explore all 6 Dorothy Gish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/) ## More Beard quotes > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Nay! Faith, let me not play a woman! I have a beard coming!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/nay-faith-let-me-not-play-a-woman-i-have-a-beard-coming/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grump-looking old man with a great deal of a long gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-barman-sidled-toward-them-out-of-a-back-room-he-was-a-grump/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born with a beard. We're quite hairy down in Latin America. We don't have to use sponges when we wash dishes. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devendra-banhart/i-was-born-with-a-beard-we-re-quite-hairy-down-in-latin-america-we/) [Devendra Banhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devendra-banhart/) > [“beard framing a face that had started to show his age, weathered and lined from years”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allibone/beard-framing-a-face-that-had-started-to-show-his-age-weathered-and/) [Richard Allibone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allibone/) > [If I can play, and change the mind of one person about being a Muslim player and having a beard, then I'll feel as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moeen-ali/if-i-can-play-and-change-the-mind-of-one-person-about-being-a-muslim/) [Moeen Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moeen-ali/) > [“Pride is like a beard. It is just keeps growing; the solution?- Shave it every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ong/pride-is-like-a-beard-it-is-just-keeps-growing-the-solution-shave-it/) [George Ong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ong/) > [“I have no idea why this is. I’m sure somebody with a beard and too much time on their hands would say it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-spalding/i-have-no-idea-why-this-is-i-m-sure-somebody-with-a-beard-and-too/) [Nick Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-spalding/) > [They were bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" said Hagrid. "Small?" said Hermione. "Small?" "Hermione, I couldn't leave him," said Hagrid, tears now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-were-bullyin-him-hermione-cause-he-s-so-small-said-hagrid-small/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Allow me," said the elf, proffering Gimlet's beard to Frito, who was now sneezing uncontrollably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-harvard-lampoon/allow-me-said-the-elf-proffering-gimlet-s-beard-to-frito-who-was-now/) [The Harvard Lampoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-harvard-lampoon/) > [Never insult a mans beard, you either get thunder or lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/never-insult-a-mans-beard-you-either-get-thunder-or-lightning/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [If we didn't live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices, we should never be depressed, I've no doubt;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-didn-t-live-venturously-plucking-the-wild-goat-by-the-beard-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [If I had to choose between the two ways of approaching the deity, I should prefer the existential relational way, to the abstract philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/if-i-had-to-choose-between-the-two-ways-of-approaching-the-deity-i/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [“Shave that Moses beard and you might have better luck. Women don’t want to kiss carpet, you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-keplinger/shave-that-moses-beard-and-you-might-have-better-luck-women-don-t/) [Kody Keplinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-keplinger/) > [If Elmore Leonard met Jim Thompson down a dark alley at midnight they might emerge a week later with thick beards, bloodshot eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/if-elmore-leonard-met-jim-thompson-down-a-dark-alley-at-midnight-they/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) [Browse all 588 Beard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Gish" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on-their-faces-or-red-beards/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on-their-faces-or-red-beards/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dorothy-gish-53899_beard_i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on_103476.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards.” — Dorothy Gish", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dorothy Gish", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-gish/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I thought comedians had to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on-their-faces-or-red-beards/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-gish/i-thought-comedians-had-to-have-black-on-their-faces-or-red-beards/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```