Before bringing her new show, She-Devil, to the Edinburgh Fringe, Jain Edwards stops by Pepper&Salt to discuss the thematic relevancy of her show, misogyny and the constant of womanhood over the course of human history.
How would you summarise She-Devil?
It is me recounting my experiences with men over the years from my flat earther incel husband, to my lonely EDL uncle, to my cancelled comedian friend. The viewpoint I perform the show from is that of a naive, pick me girl, who thinks that literally everything that happens to her is “fine”. And there is no limit on what she will put up with. I mean, this girl defends witch hunters. But with every step in the show, she gets closer and closer to realising her situation. She finally finds her people, a group of typical nice guys and all seems well. However, there is a folk-horror ending that people won’t want to miss.
What is the core theme or idea holding your show together?
The key theme of the show is power, and the lengths men go to hold onto it.
How does your title tie in thematically with the rest of your show?
There are so many topics in the show that are, in a round about way, about women being demonised. Aileen Wornous, witches, Ruth Ellis, male comedians ex girlfriends. The show also includes conspiracy theories which is a link to the old folklore vision of women. Misogyny is one of the original conspiracy theories. The idea of the evil woman who lives in the woods never really left, and we can see that even to this day. If men need to demonise a woman for their own ends, they will, and I tell that story over and over with the characters I talk about in the show.
What is your aim with your new hour?
My main aim is to make an island of relief from the current climate. We are going through a new wave of far right madness so I want to make something funny about it through the lens of my own experience. I also wanted to remind men that they are not actually that different from each other, just that their circumstances or backgrounds are different. My aim is also to just have fun. I love messing around, I love doing comedy.
If it’s not too much of a spoiler, what is your favourite joke in the show?
‘I had a typical working class upbringing. I was dead by age 3’
“I really think the status of a woman can change from minute to minute. Whatever benefits men is what the standard is and that is constantly shifting, and I mean shifting by the second.”
Does surrealism help our understanding of realism, and if so, how?
Absolutely! In my comedy, surrealism is just exaggerating the world around us. I feel like I don’t really need to come up with ideas, there is already so much to choose from, especially these days. I sometimes just say what is happening and it’s surreal.
What made you write about the topics that you explore in the show?
The surge of the far right plays a big part in my comedy and that is very true in this show. Incel culture, the trad wife scene, the conspiracy forums, these all play into the new wave of misogyny. But these are all extreme examples. I recently had a terrible experience with men who are known as “nice guys”. I have never experienced anything like it. So the show basically uses the truism that any kind of guy can behave like this, not just the extreme weirdos on a late night forum.
How would you define the phrase ‘not like other girls’?
To me, ‘not like other girls’ is simply internalised misogyny. Looking at other women and thinking you are not just different from them, but better. You think there is some kind of reward from seeking the approval of men in this way but the prize is just tolerating poor treatment. It is like a Grimm’s fairytale to me.
What has been the overarching constant of womanhood throughout the centuries ?
I really think the status of a woman can change from minute to minute. Whatever benefits men is what the standard is and that is constantly shifting, and I mean shifting by the second. The big one is of course is the Madonna/whore, a classic, which will never go away. I have experienced this in 2025. My show includes a moment when I asked a male comedian to stop being abusive and a friend of his stepped in to publicly bring up my sex life? Like, it was actually amazing how quickly nice, normal, good guys pushed that big red misogyny button when they felt mildly threatened by proxy. You can follow that like a thread throughout women’s history, and of course the history of anyone who isn’t a straight, white male.
What are some of the contradictions of modern womanhood?
There is this kind of fake reality that women live in where you can’t win. We live in a sophisticated illusion of equality these days. You only really feel the tectonic plates shift is when you try to step off them. The historical contradictions, which have always, and will always exist in the male shared consciousness have just become more subtle to cover. I think it’s hard for men these days though because they can’t use words like “bitch” anymore. They have to get more creative to keep a nice guy, socially acceptable image, even when a woman crosses them.
What is your understanding of how the world tells us to shrink?
The world hates to see confident women and nonbinary people. Well, you can only be a successful woman if you are directly benefiting the men around you. It is so insidious and embedded into our society. I consider myself super feminist, super independant, super ambitious rah rah rah, but there are huge periods of my life where I was living for men without even realising it.
Reading your press release made me think of the quote, men are afraid that women will laugh at them, women are afraid that men will kill them. How far, if at all, does that idea pertain to your show?
I would say this is at the very deep dark heart of the show. Like, you nailed it.
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Photo credit: ToasterHead.
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