Tuesday, February 14, 2006
V-Day Does It Again!
Last night I went to a rousing Simon's Rock College performance of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," which I almost know by heart by now since I've been teaching it in my Intro to Women's Studies classes for years. No matter how many times I read the book or see the performance, it never fails to choke me up.
For those who have never seen the play performed, it's a series of monologues created as composites of hundreds of interviews that Ensler conducted with women of all ages, from all walks of life, talking about--their vaginas. An unlikely topic for a play, you might think, but in fact the stories that Ensler has created from these conversations are nothing short of amazing.
From the six-year-old girl who, when asked what her vagina smells like, responds, "Snowflakes," to the adolescent Black girl describing episodes of sexual violence in her childhood, and moving into an exhilarating description of her seduction by an older "bulldagger," to a painfully moving confession by an older woman of how her "down there" got "closed for business," the stories spin by in a mesmerizing litany of humor, pain, grief and joy.
I have seen the film of Ensler performing the monologues herself, but I think the college performances I've seen are more intense and more moving, because you can so clearly see the depths of the actors' passion for their subject. At last night's performance at Simon's Rock, one of the performers could not restrain her tears as she described a woman whose face was burned off by acid thrown on her by her abusive husband (a not-uncommon occurrence in parts of South Asia). The young woman who read the monologue of the raped women of Bosnia was pale and controlled, but clearly feeling the impact of every line.
And then there was the other side of the emotional coin--the sheer gutsiness and effervescence of the young women who read the monologues celebrating Vagina Power. "My vagina is angry," one performer declared, and launched into a scathing explanation of why, punctuated with assertive demands. Another performer held the audience spellbound with her description of a woman finding her clitoris for the first time in an orgasm workshop.
And then there was the monologue about the woman who switched careers, from prim corporate lawyer to dominatrix, specializing in women. The dominatrix's particular area of expertise is in eliciting from her female partners every type of pleasurable moan imaginable--and then some! To see this beautiful young woman get up before the packed audience last night and moan--I mean MOAN, loudly, creatively, and without any inhibitions--was truly a liberating experience, even for those of us just watching with vicarious delight.
What I love about "The Vagina Monologues" is how it manages to look sexual violence straight in the face, and yet also not lose sight of the pleasure-giving power of sexuality, especially female sexuality. Men are celebrated too, at least some men: last night's performance included a brilliant rendering of the monologue about "Bob," the ordinary, average guy who is transformed into someone heroic in his open-hearted admiration for a woman's vagina.
Last night's performance at Simon's Rock was a benefit for Berkshire Kids' Place, an advocacy program for women and children who have suffered first or second-hand sexual and physical abuse. BKP representative Ananda Timpane reminded the audience before the show began of some of the horrendous statistics about sexual violence--that one in four women will experience sexual assault at some point in their lives, for example.
We need to be aware of these statistics, and do whatever we can to empower women and channel male rage in other, more productive directions--if not eliminate it entirely. But in our concern over sexual violence we also must not lose sight of the beauty and delight of human sexuality. Even as it condemns sexual violence, "The Vagina Monologues" helps us remember what sex is supposed to be all about.
If you care: Visit the Berkshire Kids Place website to find out how you can help support their important work with women and kids at risk. Information about Eve Ensler's V-Day Foundation and its mission to stop the violence against women and girls worldwide is also available online. The list of hundreds of colleges performing the "Monologues" as part of the 2006 V-Day campaign is truly awe-inspiring and heartening!
For those who have never seen the play performed, it's a series of monologues created as composites of hundreds of interviews that Ensler conducted with women of all ages, from all walks of life, talking about--their vaginas. An unlikely topic for a play, you might think, but in fact the stories that Ensler has created from these conversations are nothing short of amazing.
From the six-year-old girl who, when asked what her vagina smells like, responds, "Snowflakes," to the adolescent Black girl describing episodes of sexual violence in her childhood, and moving into an exhilarating description of her seduction by an older "bulldagger," to a painfully moving confession by an older woman of how her "down there" got "closed for business," the stories spin by in a mesmerizing litany of humor, pain, grief and joy.
I have seen the film of Ensler performing the monologues herself, but I think the college performances I've seen are more intense and more moving, because you can so clearly see the depths of the actors' passion for their subject. At last night's performance at Simon's Rock, one of the performers could not restrain her tears as she described a woman whose face was burned off by acid thrown on her by her abusive husband (a not-uncommon occurrence in parts of South Asia). The young woman who read the monologue of the raped women of Bosnia was pale and controlled, but clearly feeling the impact of every line.
And then there was the other side of the emotional coin--the sheer gutsiness and effervescence of the young women who read the monologues celebrating Vagina Power. "My vagina is angry," one performer declared, and launched into a scathing explanation of why, punctuated with assertive demands. Another performer held the audience spellbound with her description of a woman finding her clitoris for the first time in an orgasm workshop.
And then there was the monologue about the woman who switched careers, from prim corporate lawyer to dominatrix, specializing in women. The dominatrix's particular area of expertise is in eliciting from her female partners every type of pleasurable moan imaginable--and then some! To see this beautiful young woman get up before the packed audience last night and moan--I mean MOAN, loudly, creatively, and without any inhibitions--was truly a liberating experience, even for those of us just watching with vicarious delight.
What I love about "The Vagina Monologues" is how it manages to look sexual violence straight in the face, and yet also not lose sight of the pleasure-giving power of sexuality, especially female sexuality. Men are celebrated too, at least some men: last night's performance included a brilliant rendering of the monologue about "Bob," the ordinary, average guy who is transformed into someone heroic in his open-hearted admiration for a woman's vagina.
Last night's performance at Simon's Rock was a benefit for Berkshire Kids' Place, an advocacy program for women and children who have suffered first or second-hand sexual and physical abuse. BKP representative Ananda Timpane reminded the audience before the show began of some of the horrendous statistics about sexual violence--that one in four women will experience sexual assault at some point in their lives, for example.
We need to be aware of these statistics, and do whatever we can to empower women and channel male rage in other, more productive directions--if not eliminate it entirely. But in our concern over sexual violence we also must not lose sight of the beauty and delight of human sexuality. Even as it condemns sexual violence, "The Vagina Monologues" helps us remember what sex is supposed to be all about.
If you care: Visit the Berkshire Kids Place website to find out how you can help support their important work with women and kids at risk. Information about Eve Ensler's V-Day Foundation and its mission to stop the violence against women and girls worldwide is also available online. The list of hundreds of colleges performing the "Monologues" as part of the 2006 V-Day campaign is truly awe-inspiring and heartening!
