Elouise Eftos has created national history! The first Australian woman to receive a nomination for Best Newcomer at the highly competitive Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Celebrated as an emerging talent, this recognition is an important milestone in her early career. For her, it’s been a year filled with critical accolades in Australia and overseas. Eftos is a master actor, dancer and singer. With a background in film and journalism, Wong has rapidly emerged as one of the brightest stars in the comedy world.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Eftos. Throughout her life, she endured doubt from male executives in the industry. Usually straight up saying that she was “too pretty to do comedy.” She adopted the monicker “Australia’s First Hot Comic” for her first solo show. This option comically shines a light on the double standards women often face. She hopes to inspire audiences to challenge their own preconceived notions and reconsider what society teaches us about beauty, color and comedy.
Her show, “Australia’s First Attractive Comedian,” has not only won awards, including Director’s Choice at the Sydney Comedy Festival but has led to a sold-out run at London’s famed Soho Theatre. Eftos will appear on the Sydney Opera House mainstage as part of the Just For Laughs comedy festival. They will make an appearance on the “Women Aren’t Funny” show, hosted by Abbie Chatfield, from November 14 – 16.
Eftos’s background as a Greek-Macedonian heritage deeply enriches the story that Eftos tells. She dreams for Yiayia Sofia, her grandmother, now gone, who never got that desired career in the limelight, dreams still unattainable for her generation. Eftos likes to tell a lovely story about her grandma. She lovingly refers to her as a “tra la la girl,” a designation rooted in love and hope.
“A woman knowing that she is attractive or knowing that she’s intelligent or knowing that she’s funny, I think, is one of the most punk rock things you can do … because society, the patriarchy, has always made us believe that we need to be people pleasers and make sure that we put ourselves down to make other people feel comfortable.” – Elouise Eftos
In her work, Eftos employs the power of satire to expose and deconstruct toxic cultural narratives. She recently expressed her thoughts on audience perceptions, posing the question:
“Are people going to project their own insecurities onto it? Are they going to bring me down because they think that I’m insulting other women?” – Elouise Eftos
This introspective approach strikes a powerful chord with any of us who have been judged in the same way. Eftos wants women to be free from other people’s judgments about what they look like.
“If you feel empowered wearing jeans and a t-shirt on stage, more power to you. But I’m not a bad person or a bad feminist for wearing a dress and heels.” – Elouise Eftos
By upending stereotypes, Eftos pushes to make room for important conversations about self-acceptance, freedom of expression and authenticity within performing arts. Her character, “The Femmebot,” is a striking example of this interrogation of identity and societal expectations.
Yet even she, the seasoned trailblazer, has felt the challenge of her career. Reflecting on the pressure to conform, she stated:
“You are not good enough. You need to do this, you need to do that.” – Elouise Eftos
Her experiences as a performer have made her acutely aware of the importance of representation and empowerment in the entertainment industry.
“I think a lot of people underestimated me for a long time.” – Elouise Eftos
Her experiences as a performer have made her acutely aware of the importance of representation and empowerment in the entertainment industry.
