Men do not want to laugh at the humor of women
Yasemin Sakallıoğlu. She is a social media phenomenan. I shall be honest, I don’t really know or follow that many phenomenans. However I happened to watch one of her videos as a coincidence and then watched many others of her one after another and laughed till I die. I discovered her very late, and indeed many others around me had already known her. She has a very good sense of observation. And her sincerity polishes her starlight. It’s like as if the way she teases her own unsuccesses and this brings her success.
It’s not something simple to grow up in a traditional Turkish family and to discover your lackings, face your own conditions, tease your difficulties, observing everyone and let them face their missing parts. She does all this. That’s why I do loved her. Her story is beginning in social media but I think she has a long road waiting ahead of her. Wishing her this to be true, let’s read what we have talked.
Has anything triggered you to discover yourself?
I used to imitate Seda Sayan and Sibel Can when I was around 7-8 years of age. One day at school, I said to the teacher, “I want to show my imitations.” And imitated my cousin’s mom. Later on, I used to be called to the teachers’ room and asked me imitate the teachers. They’ve been telling me to go to the conservatoire right from those times, but my father’s biggest dream has been me becoming an accountant J If it were something like a doctor or an enginerr, ok; but accountant J Anyhow, I became a bank employee at least. I had first begun doing some things related to theatre and writing short pieces when I was at school.
There were 2500 employess in the bank where I was working at. And there I formed a theatre group, I wrote and directed the pieces. I never believe in coincidences in life. Some people exist just to touch and change the lives of others. I met with my primary school friends one day. And one of them recorded me on video that same day. I didn’t have a YouTube account those times. She uploaded that video on YouTube and I was on news of all TV channels right on the 4th day.
What kind of a feeling was it, seeing yourself on news when you were an ordinary person?
It was a very weird thing. I was even nıt sure whether that video was really uploaded or not. One of our family friendscalled us to say you’re on news now. I thought, there must have happened something on streets, and I happened to be seen on the corner of the screen somehow. What else could I think? It was the ATV channel news who showed me for the first time and the anchorwoman there said, “this girl should be discovered” and now my TV series is on ATV channel.
How did your mom and dad react when they saw you on TV?
My father was really surprised. And my mother loves it when I imitate her. Thank God, she’s not the celebrity in our family, she has so much over-ego. We’re just the opposites; I’m modest and humble and my mom is ostentatious and has a high self-confidence. She regularly says, “Are you famous? How famous?” and teases me. I got to realize why she does this. Whatever she does like this, it keeps me fit and formed and determined.
Thank God she does it to me. And my father saying, “Since you’re putting your heart into this job; as you get higher, lower your spirit down.” I’m trying to keep these words in my mind as long as I can. My mom never lets me fly up there in the clouds, instead she pulls me down right away. My life is just the same, nothing ever changed. And I don’t want anything to change because I cannot understand, “Now I’m famous. Let’s move to Etiler.” Why? What’s wrong with Beykoz?
What happened after that news on TV channels night?
I used to think, write, compose, create, act at home. And my only aim was theatre, I never thought of TV. In fact, when I was quitting my job at the bank and leaving, my manager had asked me “is being a theater actress that easy?”. Later on, she was the one congratulating me the first. Sometimes people shouldn’t believe in you for you to be able to achieve. If they believe in you quite much, then you start not believing in yourself. That’s why what my mom does works so well on me. She applies counter-affect on me. If I’m ever doing something good, that’s because of my mom. Thank God, she is alive and right behind me. Shall anyone never be left motherless and fatherless.
Are you the only child?
I have 2 brothers and both are in textile business. Both has different talents. They can speak backward for instance. We never invested on English.
Being able to make someone laugh is the most precious thing in life. And you can do this.
This heals me. And I’m so sorry for people who stops themselves from doing this for one another. Makşng someone laugh is also making yourself laugh. When you see the other one happy, this reflects on you. People are mirrors for each other. And I never want to show negative images on that mirror. I’m sitting right there and what I’m reflecting towrds you is exactly how you make me feel. If I’m smiling, make sure I love you or I have the will to love you.
What is your loose end?
Fear of inadequacy.
What triggers this?
I don’t know, maybe it’s because of my zodiac sign. Taurus people are in a way tight in the ass type of people. And my ascendant sign is Pisces and people switch to their ascending signs after 30. I turned out to be a more emotional woman, even melancholic. I laugh a lot yes, and I also write very emotional pieces. And I’m in the preparation phase of a book for the last 2.5 years. Only 1.5 more months left and I hope I will be completing it asap. And the name will be ‘Bana Yine Geldiler’.
Will we laugh when reading?
We will both laugh and grieve. That’s because I believe humorous women have gloomy lives. And sometimes you laugh just because you cannot cry at the moment and there at times I also laugh when actually I have to be crying. I own deeply everything I live. Sorrow, pain, happiness, all of them are mine and the power to overcome all. I’m the one to fill myself with that power. That’s why I love laughing women, and I love making people laugh. I didn’t used to do this consciously. I used to make a joke for instance and ask others “am I really funny? Did you really laugh at my joke?”. I really needed to be fully satisfied with this. But now I have to laugh first of all. I do not upload any video which doesn’t make me laugh.
Do you do this as if it’s your duty?
It’s impossible. One of the questions people always ask me, why do you always drink tea in your videos? When I sit on a table and only if I have a glass of tea in my hand my mind starts working. My mother is from the Black Sea region and that’s why tea is a rituel for our family. We cannot think of a table without tea.
Do you mostly use Instagram?
I opened a Youtube account but couldn’t have the time to work on it. Then my Facebook account was crashed down the day I would do my stand-up show. So I moved to Instagram.
Was it a very fast paced rise?
Indeed yes. I had 700.000 followers and that was crashed as well. Then I again opened a new Instagram account. I want to thank all the other Instagram phenomenons, ‘cause they all supported me by sharing my new account and in a very short time I regained my followers more than before. There’s something like Instagram phenomenons protecting and supporting one another. We created ourselves out of nothing and so we know and understand each other. And thank God, we are lucky to have these strong bonds between us.
Social media has created its own celebrities and given them the chance to share their talents themselves. On the other hand, so many profiles whom I cannot even consider as absurd comedy, have followers over a million people. How and why?
Can you ever understand and differentiate what you’re listening to in a crowded area? This is a very crucial question for me. It doesn’t necessarily mean that when there’s a crowd, right things are said outloud.
Are you constantly observing?
Yes, constantly. Even here and now. I love reading ‘people’. I don’t think people are alike. There’s only one from each. Everyone has an opposing side and I can capture that opposing attitude very quickly.
Social media is the addiction of this new era and it in a way has a drug affect on people. I hope not, but I’m afraid we’ll be hearing about people in deep depression and commiting suicide..
Do you know why? It’s because social media is bringing some kind of popularity and when you do temporary and weak jobs there, people start leaving you. A good example for this can be myself. My own Instagram account was crashed down and I lost 700.000 followers in just one day. I thought, I will never be able to reach those numbers again and won’t be able to take videos at all. But at the end of the day, I have an education and I will be an academician.
Are you planning to be an academician?
Yes. My biggest target is to be a very good text writer in this country. Because this country is really needing good woman writers. Social media is soo temporary and I do not want to fall into that trap. It can disappear any minute.
“You have nearly 850.000 followers and you do not ever take ads on your page.
I’ve been using Instagram for 4 years and never accepted ads. And since I never took ads, now they’re offering seriously high amounts of money. However on my page I cannot say, “These shoes are very comfortable, try them”. It’s not my job to say this. My job is humor. Creating humor is thr right job for me. And I need to focus on what and how I can do it better.
You have a role in one of the most highly rated TV series. Has this colorful magic box put any distance between you and theatre?
Thank God, my first job was, ‘Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz’. I worked with people with theatre origin. I’ll be on screen as long as TV wants me. I don’t have such wills normally. It’s important for me how much people believe in me. And this is a matter of energy from both sides. If I act a role and if people believe in that character, then I’m there until I’m 70. Otherwise theatre is more than enough for me.
Are you fond of anyone?
Perran Kutman. If any actress would ever hit me, I would want that actress to be Perran Kutman. I’m so much fond of her that I’m even afraid of getting to know her. I placed her so high up above that I think I’m afraid of being wrong.
Why do you think there aren’t enough comedy actresses in Turkey?
Since we grow up in a patriarchal and male-dominated society, women are just side elements easing men’s lives and supporting them to be more successful. However though, I believe both sides should be equally successful for proper relationships. And men need to accept laughing at comedy actresses. Men shall not only laugh at men. Only 27% of my followers are males. Men generally want to follow women with physical beauty. Obviously I cannot compete with women doing squats. I can only make them laugh, but cannot attract them physically.
Do you think men would find Adriana Lima funny if she were to be very humorous?
To be honest, I think beauty comes before humor. Only example for your question is I think, Ezgi Mola in Turkey. She’s both beautiful and funny. This job fits so well on her. İrem Sak is also the same. I cannot say myself in this group since I don’t find myself beautiful. I also laugh at Gupse Özay quite much. In my opinion, Gupse Özay has been one of the best comedy actresses of this country.
You will have your movie ready to be released in a short while. Could you please tell us a little about that?
This is something so sweet for me. My character, Aysel Abla is becoming a movie. The name of the movie will be, “Kurtar Bizi Aysel Abla”. We have nearly 5-6 more months till it’s released. I could never believe that this was going to come real. Erhan Baytimur is our director and his wife is the writer. When I wa sstill so much doubtful, they called me out of the blue and told me that 10 days left for the scenario to be completed. I loved the scenario so much and knowing that it came out right from a chaacter I had created makes me feel so proud.
That means I didn’t take all those videos just for nothing. This film will be the most important thing of my life. And I’m sure audience will love it also. I’m so proud of being the reason of all this. Can you imagine; a dream of yours is causing somebody else dream about something. This is the first time I’m telling all this because I was so fearful that it wouldn’t happen.
What kind of a place is your Istanbul?
For me, Istanbul is our garden. Garden symbolizes Istanbul for me. I grew up with street culture and Istanbul is a huge neighborhood for me. And also with social media, Istanbul turned out to be as such where almost everyone knows everyone. That’s also why I call Istanbul a huge neighborhood.
Are you good at kitchen?
Very good indeed. I cook wonderul pastry. Women from Black Sea have a talent in these by default. I love kitchen and that’s why I can hardly lose weight. I believe so much in the sincerity and the chatting of the kitchen. And also if you talk with the meal you’re cooking, it becomes even more delicious.
Lat but not the least, LOVE. How does this comic woman live her love?
I put aside the man and I choose to love the love I feel for him. I’m done with him after a while actually. I love unlimitedly, madly, eternally, like crazy when I love. But the other one doesn’t recognize this. I’m too prideful, so I never show all this. I write him messages and delete them, write them and then delete. I write all so many things that if he were ever to read them, he would say this girl is madly ill. There are so many messages in the notes section of my phone. I can compose a book from all of them. “Unsent Messages”.. I love falling in love. Love makes me productive.
