Jessimae Peluso, commonly known from the MTV hit show “Girl Code,” visited Sonoma State University March 24 for a night filled with laughs. Before the show began, girls were lined up out the door of the Student Center and up the staircase waiting in anticipation for the show. One by one, the Grand Ballroom was filled with female fans eagerly awaiting the start of the show.
As the lights were lowered, one could feel the energy and excitement in the room as Peluso’s friend and fellow comedian, Marcella Arguello, took the stage. Arguello didn’t waste any time in pointing out the obvious.
She said, “I’m very tall for a woman. Let’s talk about it. Let’s not waste any time. I’m 6 feet 2 inches. Ever since I was a kid I was called a giraffe. It really offends me as a proud giraffigan American.”
The rest of Arguello’s performance was consistently filled with laughs from the audience, giving the impression Peluso’s would be no different. After finishing up her set, Arguello introduced Peluso and the crowd erupted in applause.
After entering the stage with what she called a “ninja roll,” she pointed out her “Kim Kardashian crying face” T-shirt and everybody in the audience erupted with laughter. Relating to the fact that Sonoma isn’t the most lively college city and more of a wine county, Peluso said, “How does anyone do anything sober here?”
Most students felt like what made Peluso funny was she wasn’t afraid to take risks.
“Jessimae definitely did not hold back when it came to her routine,” said freshman Sarah Kirkeby. “It was refreshing to see someone who isn’t afraid to be herself and to put everything out on the table.”
The consistent laughter came from how relatable everything Peluso talked about was. From parents to relationship problems, she was able to share her life experiences with the crowd, which made every joke even funnier.
Speaking about being a dog lover, Peluso said, “I had four dogs at one point. That’s another problem. That’s an emotional issue. I had to stop going into shelters when it was that time of the month. I would go in already emotional. I would have Nutella dripping off my knuckles. ‘I’ll save ‘em all, I’ll save ‘em all.’”
Toward the end of her routine, Peluso made sure to share her No. 1 rule of the girl code. That is, to be happy with oneself and comfortable in one’s own skin. Girls with, as she humorously said, “shellac on their face,” need to be happy with the person they are underneath all the makeup.
At the end of the event when everyone had gotten their photo taken with Peluso, there were still some who had smiles on their faces. “She didn’t need to be the most inspirational person ever,” said freshman Erin Furnay. “She made me laugh constantly for an entire hour. With all the stress of college, it was such a nice and hilarious way to loosen up and have a good time.”
She lifted the spirits of the audience and made tears appear in the corners of their eyes from constant laughter.
