The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play that centers around women and their personal experiences with their vaginas. The play was created by Eve Ensler after she interviewed 200 women in 1995. Since 1998, it has been re-created annually on or around Valentine’s Day to raise awareness of gender-based violence, a day that has been dubbed “V-Day.” Communities and college campuses world-wide participate in this event every year and donate their funds to local organizations to help end violence against women. As of December 2004, more than $25M had been raised (Bell and Reverby 2005). This year, I attended The Vagina Monologues at East Carolina University on February 13. All proceeds from this event were donated to the local Center for Family Violence Prevention. This was just one of the many reasons I wanted to attend this event.
The play lasts approximately an hour and it goes through several women’s stories about sexual experiences, body image, self-love, masturbation, trauma, and other personal things that are usually not openly discussed in our society. The stories in the play are from women of all different colors, creeds, and backgrounds. This intersectional and inclusive approach makes the play highly relatable for all women. Every year, the director chooses which monologues to include in the play.This year, East Carolina University’s rendition of the play featured 17 monologues. The titles of the monologues are as follows: Hair, Lists, The Flood, The Vagina Workshop, Vagina Happy Fact, They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy… or So They Tried, Because He Liked to Look at It, Not So Happy Fact, My Angry Vagina, My Vagina Was My Village, My Short Skirt, The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could, Reclaiming Cunt, Six Year Old Girl, The Woman Who Liked To Make Vaginas Happy, I Was There In The Room, and My Revolution Begins in the Body.
This play has several themes that appeared throughout the monologues. Body positivity, empowerment, trauma, and self-love are just a few. The play is highly focused on individual experiences and did not really touch on policy. For some, this is an issue. Many people feel that The Vagina Monologues does not attempt to address patriarchy and social constructions that create the ignorance and self-loathing that many women in the play felt. No solutions are offered for the issues presented, so body politics that create the social context in which women view themselves and their sexualities persists. There is also no way to know Ensler’s creative input in the development of the stories, so the audience does not know if they are getting an accurate representation of the women she interviewed (Bell and Reverby 2005). Thus, an already westernized view of sexuality and feminism may be further constrained by the personal narratives of Ensler. Though many have adopted The Vagina Monologues as a feminist classic, many others claim it to be an anti-feminist piece. Those who oppose The Vagina Monologues believe that it further objectifies women’s bodies and glorifies the vagina (Bell and Reverby 2005). The play does “put the pussy on a pedestal,” so to speak, but it does so in a way that is relatable, educational, and entertaining for the general public. Based on the funds raised, the crowds drawn, and the global participation, I would say it is a pretty supported piece, whether it is “classically” feminist or not.
The Vagina Monologues is a play that embraces female sexuality and brings attention to gender-based violence. V-Day has support around the world every year, and millions of dollars have been raised to support local organizations to help end violence against women. This is one of my favorite events to attend at ECU, and I find it to be extremely raw and empowering. The monologues presented this year were captivating, and I cannot wait to attend next year.
REFERENCES
Bell, Susan E. and Susan M. Reverby. 2005. “Vaginal Politics: Tensions and Possibilities in The Vagina Monologues.” Women’s Studies International Forum 28(5):430–44.
Ensler, Eve. n.d. “The Vagina Monologues.”