Last Saturday, I attended the Vagina Monologues. I met fellow Rose Scholars and GRF Antonio in the Rose Lobby, and we walked to Bailey Hall together. As we were walking to the show, the conversation was centered on the topics of love, romantic relationships, and significant others. It felt different being back Bailey for a different event this week, after I had gone to the Banff Mountain Festival last week and because I have a class there during the week. The screen was raised and the stage was darker with a blue hue. Slowly, more audience members trickled in. Less surprisingly, the crowd was predominantly women.

While the play held true to its name of “The Vagina Monologues”, there was much more to the performance than this. On the surface, you could say that it was about vaginas, a topic that tends to be taboo, but beneath the theme of vaginas was another very important, often forgotten topic, which is that of love and respect for oneself and for others. To a large degree, I think this is where the discomfort comes in talking about our different body parts. There were times when I did feel a bit uncomfortable, but simultaneously wondered why more people are not discussing these things. The actors and the stories portrayed made it clear that we have to have confidence and encourage others to do the same. Rather than put ourselves and other people down, we have to raise them up. From the play, you get glimpse at how so much good can come from having the courage to speak up, speak out, and address some of these discomforts head on.

One of my close friends was in the play. She had the role of a character who was sexually abused as a young child. Her performance was riveting. The monologue that she performed in along with others about the abuse that transgender women and men and women of genitalia mutilation face were extremely powerful. They remind us that our society as a whole still has a long way to go before we achieve total acceptance of men, women, and simply treating all people as equals and independent people who can make their own decisions about their bodies and lives.

As we were walking back to West Campus, the conversation was centered more on the play itself. I would agree with fellow Rose Scholars who attended and GRF Antonio that the play really has something for everyone. There are moments when you will burst out laughing, others when you may end up in crying, and some when you may be smiling on the outside and shedding tears on the inside. At some point, everyone should see the play. While I can understand where some of the common controversies within the play can come from, I can also appreciate the brute honesty of the monologues. This is something that I greatly applaud Eve Ensler for, in addition to her efforts to end violence against women through initiative like V-Day. If my vagina could talk and wear anything, it would say, “I am courageous and proud to be me” and would wear a button to match.