Liza Treyger is the New York-based stand-up comic known on the internet as @glittercheese. Her comedy specials have aired on Comedy Central and Netflix, and she’s the host of That’s Messed Up: An SVU Podcast. Born in the former USSR, raised in Skokie, Liza’s tells brazen jokes about everything from immigrant parents to babies and never minces a word. Here are some tips on how to speak freely like Liza.

Make sure to listen to the full interview with Liza.

Liza Treyger On Always Speaking Your Mind transcript

1. Get a thick skin. 

There are consequences to speaking your mind. That’s the thing. Everyone is like, “Oh my God, I love that. You just say it like it is.” And it’s like, “Yeah, a lot of people do not like me.” You know what I mean? I bother people. Conflict isn’t always easy.

When you go into a room, there are people that you are ignoring and they are ignoring you. So it’s just like you have to be okay with going into a room and knowing there’s going to be uncomfortable energy.

2. Remember your motivation.

I do have this sense of justice and not minding my own business, getting involved in things I shouldn’t, thinking things are unfair or fucked, and I just never really had a filter. And I was always talking and being annoyed at something or someone.

I got radicalized into feminism very young. Very early on, I was like, not fair. I don’t like what’s happening here. Both my mom and dad work, but my mom is also driving us to school, making all our food, cleaning… Right away. I knew the world was. I just saw it in a way and I didn’t like it. So I’ve been having this argument with men forever, and it’s something I care about and I want them to be smarter about rape shit or I just want them to understand. 

3. Beware the double standard.

Usually the dudes and that group of dudes that love comedy that are like, “You should be able to say whatever you want, man. You see, culture sucks. Why is everyone offended?” And they can’t handle a second of being made fun of at all. They are pissed. They will send an email. They will try to get my weekends canceled. They can make fun of women and their girlfriends all day long. And the moment you touch on them, they really collapse. And you can see in the audience of that taping, they cross their arms. The women are cackling. If you take a screenshot and the men are all crossed arms, and it’s like, “I’m objectively funny right now, why are you so upset?”

4. It helps to have supportive parents.

I think so many immigrant stories are like parents making their kids do certain things. And for me, I just feel like they were just happy I got to live this… That I could do what I want. And I feel lucky that they hate that I have tattoos. They hate all these things that I do, but never stop me from being me. And I think that’s really unique.

5. Say what you want, dress how you want.

I also like girl comics dressing ultra feminine and kind of slutty and revealing. I’m really into that because for so long I think it was like, “Don’t show your shit, don’t be this, dress like a man.” And it was grungy and it’s like, “What the fuck?” So when I see cool girls dressed hot on stage, I’m like, “Fuck yeah, I love that.” That makes me happy.