The Vagina Monologues

Today I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to support one of my roommates in a performance sponsored by two Albright College campus organizations. My roommate did a wonderful job in her piece, and the event was outstanding; educational, entertaining, and inspiriting, my heart swelled with school spirit as I watched thirty female Albright students and alumnus perform for an audience of over 200 students and sponsors!

Hence the title, The Vagina Monologues, the 90 minute benefit production celebrated "V-Day," a "global movement to end violence against women and girls. (The 'V' in V-Day stand for Victory, Valentine, and Vagina.) Performed by my peers, small skits and monologues entailing humorous, ironic, and poetic descriptions of the vagina encouraged audience members (both male and female) to celebrate the uniqueness of femininity and "respond against violence toward women." Some of the monologue titles included:

• The "Wear and Say" List (If your vagina could talk, what would it say?)
• My Angry Vagina
• A Six-Year Old Girl was Asked...
• My Vagina was a Village
• The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy
  

Each monologue celebrated women of all types: old women, young women, Hispanic women, African-American women, lesbian women, women with "positive experiences," women with "not-so-positive experiences," etc. Monologues were based upon Eve Ensler's award-winning publication The Vagina Monologues. She is also the founder/artistic director of V-Day, and is currently working on a new book of monologues, I am an Emotional Creature to be published in 2010. Based upon information given in a V-Day brochure, students learned of the purpose, mission, and awareness of V-Day and were given an opportunity to take action in various ways.

On a more personal note, I was astounded to witness how many Albright students came to support the event. I thought that my roommate (in case you're confused because you thought I went to see my roommate, I actually have 3 roommates!) and I were lucky enough to grab seats when we arrived 15 minutes prior to the event, but people continued to flood the room until 15 minutes after the event was schedule to begin! The V-Day girls were delighted to continue expanding seating for their audience. Even more, when the performance began, I again was flabbergasted by the young women's acting skills! Despite how shy or introverted some of the women may appear on campus, each actress was not afraid to speak loudly, clearly, and eccentrically, even adding witty motions and perfectly-planned pauses to dramatize their monologues! I laughed and applauded enthusiastically after each performance; appreciating the concord that was shared and celebrated by each woman in the room. There is no doubt that I've gained some new perspective on the uniqueness and creativity entailed in being a woman.

If you're interested in exploring the "V-Day Movement" in greater depth, check out their website: http://www.vday.org.