Vagina Monologues performers at Dartmouth prepare for the big performance backstage. Much practice goes into preparing for each showing of the Monologues. Photograph by Amy Gu.

We don’t like talking about it, and the more we avoid the word, the more power it has over us, to the point where it has become almost taboo: VAGINA.

My vagina, your vagina, everyone’s vagina. You can’t escape vaginas. They’re everywhere—and guess what? There are more vaginas on campus then there are penises (male/female student ratio: 49%/51%). Yes, it’s a reproductive sexual organ, but it’s more than that; it’s powerful, it’s a force, it’s womanhood, it’s sexuality, it’s the source of mind-blowing pleasure.

And yet, the fact remains that most people think it’s gross to talk about vaginas. Discussion of the organ has been relegated to 9th grade sex ed classes taught by some queasy gym teacher who isn’t any more comfortable talking about vaginas than he is about nuclear physics. Maybe this sense of unease comes from the word itself. “Vagina” sounds so severe, like an infectious disease, even an STD, one that can only be handled with thick, clinically sterilized rubber gloves. Or maybe the issue isn’t necessarily vagina anxiety. Maybe we are so dumbfounded by our overly sensationalized interactions where we freely talk about Snooki’s trampages on the Jersey Shore, that we shy away from talking about the power of female sexuality that vaginas embody.

But a revolution is stirring, reclaiming vaginas on campus. Yeah, you guessed it:
The Vagina Monologues.

Behind the Scenes of The Vagina Monologues

As a performer in The Monologues, I was apprehensive before our first meeting, not knowing what to expect from rehearsals or from the performance itself. I discovered that the personal development of self-awareness within each performer is as important as the impact The Monologues will have on the audience during the performance. When we gathered for the first time, the cast broke the ice by sitting in a big circle that consisted of 60 women while each of us answered the question, “If your vagina could talk, what would it say?”

After having considered this question deeply, our rehearsals have become more involved explorations of our own sexuality; we question ourselves and each other, wondering who we are and what our vaginas mean to us. We challenge the patriarchal constructions that say we must shave the hair “down there,” that we must submit to the male definitions of our sexuality, that we must accept the sexual and psychological deprecation of ourselves and our sisters. We deconstruct the notion of violence and violence against women. During rehearsals, we not only practice our lines, but we also begin a dialogue, a dialogue that cannot be silenced because our world cannot afford to ignore it.

Why Guys Should Watch The Vagina Monologues

Naturally, women go to The Vagina Monologues and are inspired because the conversation directly pertains to them, but the male demographic, not surprisingly, has always been more reluctant. Truthfully, if our powerful enactment of a new femininity is to make any changes in reality, it is essential that just as many men are present at the performance as women. As the Director of The Vagina Monologues, Aviva Johnson ‘10, said in our interview, “Guys need to get more comfortable with girls talking about their private parts.” Though The Monologues support and are supported by sexuality from multiple perspectives, including the relationships between gay, lesbian, transgendered individuals, men are integral in encouraging women in their exploration of sexuality in heterosexual relationships.

Aviva continues, “If girls are trying to take more ownership over their sexuality, they need to feel like their new version of treating their sexuality is not threatening or offensive. So it’s really important for guys to understand and even encourage women to be vocal.”

One awesome side effect of this process of reclaiming female sexuality is that more lines of communication will open, and sex will just be better for both men and women. Aviva reiterates this point, “It’s important for men to understand that they shouldn’t take their sexual cues from porn. Porn is often made without a realistic interpretation of a woman’s self-awareness. I think that sexual culture will be healthier if guys are encouraging and appreciative and expect women to be communicative about their sexuality.”

However, communicating about sex is not the only important issue. The mission of The Vagina Monologues is to raise consciousness and money in an effort to end violence against women. Since both men and women are perpetrators and victims of violence, both men and women are equally important in ending it. As Aviva said, “Guys are instrumental in this fight. We need them on our side. This can’t be a man-hating war. That will not work!”

The Value of the Experience of The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues are not just monologues that constitute a play. It is an experience in which you, as a cast member or as an audience member, are engaged. It is a conversation between the cast and audience about female sexuality, but it is also a conversation between the cast, audience, and victims of sexual abuse about violence against women.

Aviva calls The Monologues an “awakening.” She envisions this awakening as a truly interactive experience in which the audience experiences “enlightenment as the actresses themselves experience powerful feelings by being able to transmit the messages [of the victims of violence]. Hopefully both the audience and the cast leave the show feeling like they’re breaking new ground, like they’re pioneering, like they’re breaking down taboos about violence against women and female sexuality.”

Cast members have also referred to The Monologues as an experience, one that is both educational and liberating. Cast member Bernadette Reyes ’10 recounts her experience, “I did it last year… The experience overall was just really liberating. I can definitely see the change from when I did it then to when I did it now. I’d never talked about my vagina before. I never really desired to talk about it. I hated the word vagina; I thought it was a little gross. It’s a genuine, liberating experience. And so now I’m doing “Cunt” [a Vagina Monologue], and I can’t even describe how excited I am. There’s something incredibly empowering about that, and being able to do that, and being around other women who are doing that.”

Another cast member, Ana Bowens ‘12, stresses the impact The Monologues will have on our campus, saying, “I think that The Vagina Monologues are going to be a force on campus that is unprecedented because it such a group of strong powerful women who are all determined to make people listen, and so everyone on campus should come see The Vagina Monologues not because you have a vagina, but because everyone should learn… about the power of the vagina and what a powerful force it can be.”