“Like vaginas, warriors are central to human existence. Every woman has a warrior inside waiting to be born.” These were the words spoken by Thea Abad in her presentation of Vagina Warriors, which concluded V-Day RPI’s production The Vagina Monologues.
Bold, poignant, comedic, and informative—Vagina Monologues is not a play for the immature and mentally unprepared. The language used and graphics depicted throughout the play were raw and uncensored. The issues of sexuality, femininity, and sexual abuse were mainly addressed in this collection of monologues.
As I entered the showroom at the The Playhouse I noticed the excitement and anticipation of the audience. The audience was diverse; there were various ethnicities, an astounding gender ratio (close to 50/50) and students and non-students alike. The room, filled entirely, gave the impression that a Broadway production was being shown. I, however, knew that this was not Broadway, so hence, I wondered what facet of this play caused such a stir around campus.
I must admit I was mentally unprepared as I took my seat in the front of the room. As I read the pamphlet, I was intrigued by the titles of some of the monologues: The Vagina Workshop, My Vagina Was My Village and The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy, to name a few. My first thought was the context in which the word “vagina” was being used. Was it meant in all literal sense of the word? I was soon to find out.
“It’s who you are. I need to look,” stated Colleen Shugrue as she acted out the monologue Because He Liked to Look At It. In this monologue Shugrue transitions from contempt to satisfaction for, and love of, her vagina with the help of one particular lover.
Now, you must of course be wondering if this is the depth of The Vagina Monologues. And no, there were many more outrageous, informative, and funny stories told. In The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could the main character spoke of female sexual abuse as a child and teenager. She later confronts the issue of sexuality by describing her attraction to a woman when she was a teenager. As she states, “She was my politically incorrect savior,” referring to her female lover that changed her life.
In the following monologue, They Beat the Girl Out Of My Boy…Or So They Tried, a male speaks of his discontent with his sex and the social obstacles he faced while trying to express his true self to the public. This monologue addresses some of the social aspects of sexuality that are evident in our society today.
As the play continued, an issue central to femininity was also addressed. In the monologue I Was There In the Room, performed by Marie Weiskopf, the author talks about her first witness to birth. Throughout the piece she speaks of the vagina and the tremendous task it has when a woman gives birth. As she states, “The heart is capable of sacrifice, so is the vagina.”
These compiled monologues undoubtedly capture a fountain of emotions and realities. One of my favorite presentations was My Short Skirt, by Chi-Chi Nwaizu. Through humor, Nwaizu confronts the ideas surrounding image: the role it plays in how women are viewed and treated. As she humorously states, “My short skirt is defiance. I will not let you make me afraid… My short skirt is a liberation flag…I declare these streets my street.”
Bold, humorous, poignant, powerful, and sometimes outrageous, these words encapsulate The Vagina Monologues. Though some of the language used throughout the play was minutely disturbing, the complex issues raised are undeniable. The audience laughed, applauded, and was sometimes stricken for words. It can be agreed upon, however, that this was an interesting play in all connotations of the word.
