Drawing by Liz Klinger
Everyone is aware of the world’s sexist past. One thing most people don’t realize is that the feminist movements of the twentieth century haven’t obliterated sexism or violence against women. In Latin America, gang warfare between drug cartels has led to women being kidnapped and raped. Thailand enjoys a thriving sex trade of women and children. In the Muslim world, women who refuse to wear a veil or a full-body burqa may be subjected to “honor killings” performed by their male relatives. The Japanese government still has not issued an official apology to the thousands of “comfort women” who were abducted from China and Southeast Asia and were forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II. Wherever or whenever war may be found, whether it be in Iraq, Bosnia, Vietnam, Darfur, or Nanking, women have been gang-raped, tortured, and killed. Most of the aforementioned atrocities were remedied after the fact, if they were remedied at all. These atrocities should have never occurred in the first place.
Vagina Day began as a play by Eve Ensler called the Vagina Monologues. The aim of these monologues, narrated by women of different ethnicities, cultures, ages, sexual orientations, and economic backgrounds, was to allow men and women to learn more about female sexuality so that it would be honored and respected. You would be surprised to know how little women know about their sex organs and their sexuality, even in the present day. Many women have never had an orgasm, even if they are sexually active. Some older women have never even seen their vaginas and probably would not be able to locate their clitoris if asked.
There is too much misunderstanding and mystery surrounding female sexuality. The wonders of female sexuality and sexual organs were deified by ancient cultures for their ability to create life. In ancient India, both male and female sexuality was understood and encouraged. The symbol for female sexuality, the yoni, held just as much, if not more importance, than the male sex symbol, the lingam.
However, the rise in power of patriarchal religious systems such as Confucianism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity throughout the centuries made a major switch from the earlier religions now collectively referred to as “pagan.” Male sexuality was deified while female sexuality was demonized, crushed and effectively silenced. The remnants of this systematic subjugation are still evident today. For example, why is male masturbation widely accepted and female masturbation hardly spoken of? Did you know that as late as the last century, young girls could have their clitoris medically removed if they masturbated too much? According to the Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, the last clitoridectomy in the United States occurred in 1948 and was performed on a five year old girl. And you thought “female circumcision,” a.k.a. genital mutilation, only happened in Africa. Did a boy ever have his penis removed for masturbating too much?
The silence and the mystery surrounding female sexuality enable women to be misunderstood, abused and ignored. Many women are afraid of saying the word “vagina.” They use other words to describe “down there.” If women are too uncomfortable to even use the right word to describe their primary sexual organ, how can they voice their sexual desires? How can they defend themselves? Are any men afraid to say the word “penis?
“?The Vagina Monologues empower women to reclaim their bodies, their sex, and their vaginas. Women need to realize that their sex organs and their sexual pleasure don’t belong to their husbands, but to them. Women need to know how to be masters of their own sexual pleasure. They should see masturbation as a liberating force, not as something shameful. Did you know that the clitoris is the only organ in human anatomy whose purpose is solely for pleasure? With 8000 nerve fibers the clitoris has more nerve endings than anywhere else in the body including the mouth, lips, fingers and tongue. That is twice the number of penis. Twice! Can you believe that? Natalie Angier, author of Woman: An Intimate Geography, couldn’t believe it either. If men had such an organ, everyone would know about it. Why is there so little focus on women’s sexual fulfillment?
Right now, most of the world’s focus is on male sexual pleasure, from porn to pole dancers. The world must learn to see female sexuality on the same level as male sexuality. That way, the abuse of females physically, emotionally, psychologically, and sexually will not be excused. Many see masculinity as aggressive while femininity is recessive. This is only because female sexuality remains silent, unknown, mysterious, lost on the world and lost on women themselves. Women are then defenseless when it comes to protecting their displaced sexuality, a sexuality that has been used for centuries to prop up male sexuality. Vagina Day has helped women worldwide reclaim a sexuality that must be able to stand strong and alone on its own two feet.
I encourage women (and men) to read the Vagina Monologues or attend the public readings held on Vagina Days all over the globe. Money raised at these readings goes to providing workshops for women struggling with abuse or hoping to learn more about their sexuality. More importantly, the money also goes towards opening safe houses in places like Africa and India, where women fleeing abuse may have nowhere to turn.
The world is slowly being forced to realize that domestic abuse can’t be ignored. It can be found at all levels of society and doesn’t just go away. Even in a feminist society, domestic abuse and sexism still exist. Those who support Vagina Day are fighting for women who are being abused now, but they are also fighting to prevent women from being abused in the future. Hopefully men’s and women’s mindsets about female sexuality can be changed, and changed for the better.?
