I have deep respect for Tig Notaro.

Part of the reason why is that I find her incredibly authentic, and brave. After a string of nearly biblical unfortunate events (ending a relationship, losing her mother to a freak accident, surviving a nearly lethal bacterial infection) she opened her 30 minute act at the Largo in Los Angeles on August 3, 2012 by telling the audience what she herself had learned the day before: She had cancer. What resulted was one of  “a handful of truly great, masterful standup sets,” according to Louis C.K., who was in the audience. Tig underwent a double mastectomy, and survived.

Her authenticity, humanity, and knack for highlighting hypocrisy shine through her standup work as well as her work on Professor Blastoff – a podcast she co-hosts with comedian friends Kyle Dunnigan and David Huntsberger.

But I think what I like most about Tig Notaro is her self-acceptance. In her interview as part of the Ask a Grown Woman series on Rookie Magazine, she explains that–following her double mastectomy–she has learned that “that becomes attractive to people, when you just own exactly who you are.”

Agreed, Tig.

Oh, and did I mention that she released her debut stand-up comedy album at age 40?

Photo credit: Shawn Robbins/Kata Rokkar

Thank you, Tig!

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