‘Monologues’ stands up for the ‘dirty’ body part

The vagina: For years society has provided women with ways to “enhanceâ€Â this “dirtyâ€Â body part. Walk down the aisle at a local supermarket and you’ll see the variety of scented douches. Open a copy of “Playboy” and see the multitude of shaven patterns designed near the models’ nether regions.

This viewpoint is exactly what cast members in this year’s V-day production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologuesâ€Â are hoping to combat.

Cast member Amy Wilson, a senior double majoring in graphic design and mass communication and journalism with an emphasis in public relations, said the way the vagina is portrayed in society today is ridiculous.

“Why are there so many vaginal sprays and douches that smell like rain and stuff? Why isn’t it okay for you to smell the way you do?â€Â Wilson said. “If it’s not supposed to smell like it naturally does, what is it supposed to smell like?â€Â

Wilson plays an older woman talking about her vagina for the first time.

“She refers to her vagina as ‘down there,’â€Â Wilson said. “She feels bad about herself as a sexual being because she came from a different time period that isn’t as accepting as ours.â€Â

Ashley Fairburn, a senior double majoring in women’s studies and history and a P.O.W.E.R. member, said that “The Vagina Monologuesâ€Â isn’t a feminist rant like people seem to think it is, but that it embraces women and their sexual identities.

“The monologues are good for women to see because it affirms their notions that you don’t need to go out and buy all these products to make you or your vagina OK,â€Â Fairburn said. “But there’s a lot guys can learn from seeing it too.

“There’s no male bashing and it’s not a bunch of feminists standing up; it’s a human experience,â€Â Fairburn said.

Performaces fund women’s safety programs

“The Vagina Monloguesâ€Â is a series of short monologues based on interviews done by author Eve Ensler. For the past 11 years she has allowed groups all over the nation to perform the monlogues for free between Feb. 1 and March 31 with the condition that all proceeds go toward an organization that prevents violence against women.

Fresno State̢۪s performances this Saturday and Sunday will benefit the Violence Prevention Project, Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, and the Fresno Bad Date Sheet Project.

Wilson said that these programs are essential to providing safety of women on campus.

“When I was part of the violence prevention program, we discovered that the university police weren’t reporting all rapes because they classify rape as something done forcefully,â€Â Wilson said. “Basically, if you invite a guy into your dorm room that’s agreeing to have sex with him, and that’s not true.â€Â

“Everyone has the right to say no, even if they are married.â€Â

Fairburn said V-day is a way to hold everyone accountable and promote safety.

“It’s ideally held on Valentines Day to equate love, sex and safety,â€Â Fairburn said. “Let those declarations of love go along with non-violence. Valentines Day is a bunch of BS without that.â€Â

Strength in differences

Another thing Fairburn said about the monologues is that it takes so many women from different backgrounds and gives them voices that all women can relate too.

“The monologue can be about an African-American woman, but played by a white woman,â€Â Fairburn said. “It doesn’t matter who the character or actor is because these are stories all women understand—whether it’s about the idea that the most sacred parts of our bodies are seen as disgusting or if it’s about orgasm, rape, their first period—it’s all stuff we can relate too.â€Â

Fairburn portrays two different women, one in the short monologue “Reclaiming ‘Cunt,’â€Â and the other in a longer monologue with multiple characters titled, “They beat the girl out of my boy or so they tried.â€Â
“‘Reclaiming “Cunt”’ addresses the issue that the word “cunt” was originally a respectful word but somehow it has been destroyed and now it’s this huge insult,â€Â Fairburn said.

Cast member Teresa Gipson, a returning student double majoring in political science and classical voice, plays a woman who discovers how to have an orgasm on her own for the first time.

Gipson said she̢۪s excited to be part of this play because it brings the taboo subject of the vagina to a head.

“I think the monologues really describe the powerlessness of the vagina in our society,â€Â Gipson said. “I’m a waitress and if I walk through an alley and say ‘penis,’ people laugh, but if I say ‘vagina,’ everyone will whisper, ‘that’s dirty.’â€Â

All three agree that the play is about much more than the vagina.

“It’s more than a vagina, it’s you—your first period, fear of getting raped, pregnancy—it’s so much,â€Â Wilson said.