For the past few days, I've had one thing on my mind -- vagina.
You might think it's because I spent a Saturday night on Rugby Road or went to the women's health fair, but in actuality, these things have had nothing to do with it. The word has lingered in my mind because of the coming of V-Day to Charlottesville, a day to bring awareness to the issue of violence against women, and the showing of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues."
I went to the play uncertain of what to expect, bearing low expectations and wishing that I had had a drink beforehand. I found myself uncertain and critical of how the play would balance its various goals successfully.
On one hand, I knew about the frankness and graphical but humorous nature of the monologues, which certainly have contributed to its success. Throughout the play, I heard ordinarily offensive and degrading words uttered in jest, but bearing a worthwhile message.
On the other hand, I also knew about V-Day's goal of bringing awareness to the abuse of women, and I thought that the humor of "Monologues" might deduct from this valuable message. Upon taking my seat, I braced myself for a theatrical disaster and just regretted not having that last-minute drink.
As the play unfolded, I found my initial expectations to be wrong and open to change. Once the lights dimmed and the monologues began, it became evident that Ensler had balanced these two goals perfectly. The humor was blunt and uncouth, reaching male and female audience members equally.Everyone was able to relate to Ensler's sharp jokes about such topics as handguns, vibrators and even feminine hygiene. Furthermore and most importantly, the play succeeded in heightening awareness about the abuse of women, demonstrating its grave effects upon women and calling for more public awareness of the problem.
The monologues alternate between humorous and serious, often presenting a humorous monologue after a serious one. Employing three actresses, the monologues are told from the perspectives of numerous women who are being interviewed about their vaginas.The women differ in age, occupation and life experiences, which leads to a variety of engaging and heart-touching stories.
The opening monologue, entitled the "Flood" monologue, is one of the humorous ones, told from the perspective of an elderly woman who suffers from excessive wetness. The character unveils a comical dream in which this issue ruins a date with Burt Reynolds. The story laid the floor plan for the lighter monologues, as it combined an entertaining story line with a poignant message about self-acceptance.
Each of the serious monologues bore a similarly powerful message. In one such monologue, a Bosnian Muslim woman recalls being raped by soldiers who penetrated her with a rifle and then raped her repeatedly for seven days.In another such monologue, the character tells how she was raped before adolescence. I found each of these monologues to be both riveting and enraging, conjuring a sincere sympathy for V-Day and its message.
As I left the theater, I realized that other social movements could benefit from something like "The Vagina Monologues." In addition to abused women, there are numerous mistreated groups that need to have their messages heard. For instance, consider the gay community and the abuse that it has faced.
Unfortunately, gays continue to face abuse both in America and abroad, as evident in the Matthew Shepherd case and the abuse of Palestinian gays.While viewing the monologues, I saw a blatant resemblance between the Bosnian character's story and the abuse of Palestinian gays, as reported by "The New Republic" in late August (Halevi, Yossi Klein. "Tel Aviv Dispatch: Refugee Status." 08.19.02). The Palestinian police once committed such atrocities against a gay man as hanging him from his arms, forcing him to stand in sewage with a bag of feces over his head, and then sodomizing him with a coke bottle.
This stark resemblance bespeaks of the greatest lesson of the monologues -- like abused women, other groups must vocalize their sufferings in a blunt and engaging fashion, in order to gain necessary attention from the public.
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