Walk into a room full of magicians and it’s hard not to notice the disparity between men and women in the room – assuming there are any women in the room to begin with. It’s an issue the magical community is well aware of, though it seems to be at a bit of a loss when it comes to actually what tangible steps could be taken to remedy the situation. 

Derek DelGaudio has some ideas about that. From his Facebook page:

Alright, Magicians, time to wake up. Your chauvinism is edging towards misogyny. No more sexist jokes, no more innuendo, no more being a bunch of D-bags. And for the love of god, no more “sexy assistants.”

Look, I get it, you’re awkward and you think magic makes you more charming, more appealing. It doesn’t. In fact, it just highlights how insecure you really are. So, embrace it and figure out what *is* appealing about you. Because I assure you it’s not those shitty sexist jokes.

And to those who still use “sexy assistants,” I understand, you need the pretty girls to squeeze into the boxes and hand you the props you bought. But times have changed and you look like a schmuck. Nobody thinks you’re desirable or powerful because you surround yourself with attractive women. Especially not the attractive women you’re paying (poorly) to stand next to you. Just like making sexist jokes, including a “sexy lady” in your act, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT, doesn’t make you look better, it reveals your lack of originality and exposes how painfully oblivious you are to the world around you.

Women deserve a place in magic. And they deserve a hell of a lot better than your tired act.

The discussion that follows his post is frank and enlightening, so take a moment to check it out. Speaking as someone who found herself on the receiving end of a lot of sexist “humor” masquerading as magician patter during Magic Live and Genii Convention…thanks, Derek. Very well said.