One Billion Rising
When someone first mentioned to me a production entitled The Vagina Monologues, I assumed I had misheard her. But, to my surprise, my ears had heard the truth. I asked around and most people gave high marks to the production. I also discovered that The Vagina Monologues is actually part of a movement spreading across the globe called V-Day. The aim of this movement is to put a stop to violence against all females. The Vagina Monologues is a compilation of beliefs and stories of real women. Eve Ensler interviewed over 200 women and asked them about, well, their vaginas. Though the idea sounds slightly intimidating, I was also strangely intrigued. With these thoughts in mind, I asked the Residence Advisor on my floor to make seeing the production a Floor Program last weekend. That way more people were likely to attend and I would also save three bucks on a ticket—I’m a college student, what do you expect? So a group of us all left together and picked seats with a good view toward the front.
I’ll admit I was a little uneasy after opening my program and reading some of the monologue titles, such as “My Angry Vagina” and “They Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy…Or So They Tried.” But the show held my attention throughout its duration. Some parts had the crowd laughing, but others were much more somber. Personal stories of rape and sexual assault were read, sometimes with disturbing detail. These monologues were greatly emotional for me, hearing true stories that stressed the horrific effects of sexual assault and genital mutilation. I became greatly moved by the words of these unknown women and children and the next day I accessed the V-Day website and joined the One Billion Rising, a promise that I will do my part to put an end to violence against women and children. It was a powerful production that made me more aware of the realities that women face around the world.