The Vagina Monologues

Vaginas have taken over my life! As the outreach coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center, I was the executive producer, actor, director’s assistant, and publicity promoter for this year’s rendition of The Vagina Monologues. I’ve sold pussy-shaped Popsicles, (and not the cat kind,) attempted to calm overzealous feminists, printed one thousand posters... but it was all worth it.

Eve Ensler, the writer of The Vagina Monologues, was fed up with the belief that females should suppress their sexuality. She asked girls, grandmas, Africans, Jews, Christians, Atheists, people from around the world about their sexuality and, more specifically, vagina. What she created out of their stories is an amazing piece of history. Although the show is a comedy, it covers several dark issues. In “Say It,” a seventy-year old Japanese woman describes how she was forced to be a comfort woman for the soldiers of the Second World War. Female genital mutilation is also addressed. Roughly three million girls have their clitoris removed every year. It’s a painful, dangerous procedure, and often results in death.

As a Westerner, I find it difficult to understand why a woman would complacently accept this horrid violation. For this reason, I chose it as my monologue. I delivered the “Not So Happy Fact” at the Dreyfus Theatre last Saturday. The audience was so stunned it took them several moments to applaud. (At least, I think it was because they were stunned. Hopefully my lack of acting talent had nothing to do with it.) After hearing about such tragedies, the crowd needed a boost. Thank the Goddess for the cheerful monologues! One woman describes how a healthy relationship with a man helped her fall in love with her vagina. Another rants about why her vagina is PISSED OFF. Both were silly, but had a powerful message behind the humor.

The event was good, (mostly) clean fun, and the cause was even better. The Women’s Resource Center donated the proceeds to SAVS, the Sexual Assault Victims Services. We raised $2,600! Eve Ensler requires people who put on the show to donate ten percent of their profits to V-Day, her non-profit organization that strives for women’s equality.

Insightful, entertaining, moving... The Vagina Monologues is many things. Most of all it’s empowering. Women around the world have been liberated thanks to Eve Ensler’s powerful play. I’m proud of the role I had the honor of performing in this year’s production at Stevens Point, and look forward to being a part of the audience at the next performance.