The Vagina Monologues

        The Vagina Monologues are an interesting thing to be told to read as a guy.  Before this, I had heard the name, but never given a second thought.  Oh, vaginas, they exist and are a culturally well known part of the anatomy right?  Apparently not. 

        I took it for granted, that vaginas are something that is appreciated and well known.  How could someone not know about something so important on their body?  Or even worse, how could they despise or feel that such a part of their body looks disgusting?  Even if in retrospect, my sexual education class seemed rudimentary, the things that people didn't understand in the monologues seemed surprising.  The biggest surprise to me though, was the fact that women could find what is down there so ugly.  I always thought that genital mutilation was the product of some disturbed man, when in fact Labiaplasty (the alteration of the lips on the outside of the vagina) seems to be a fairly common surgery.  Where I saw something that was always equated with a flower, apparently society sees as ugly.   

        The damage seems to extend into imagery, where Photoshop allows the labia to be removed digitally, changing what people see and what they expect to see.  It is eye opening to see just how far the cultural issues of female body image go beyond needing to look like a twig... 

        Moving back to the Vagina Monologues themselves, Eve Ensler really did find a way to help push people to think more about issues related to vaginas.  Because of the fact that vaginas are often a forbidden topic in many social situations, they aren't talked about much.  Despite this, the Vagina Monologues are more than a one sided conversation.  Indeed part of their power is to turn a monologue performance into a cultural dialogue.  This opens the door to talk about many related issues, such as sexual assault, leading to not only a greater cultural dialogue, but hopefully a greater awareness and knowledge about such issues. 

Verbatim Theatre, a Question of Ethics

Documentary (or more specifically Verbatim) Theatre appears to be such a positive and powerful tool.  I had never heard of it prior to this reading, so my initial reaction, while short-lived, was a sense of encouragement.  I thought, “What a great way to use the arts as a ‘voice’ for the oppressed or unheard.”  My second thought was to the parallels between last week’s class on the Vagina Monologues as well as the production we intend to create.  However, it didn’t take long before my initial opinion received a devastating blow in the form of two scholarly articles questioning the ethics of Verbatim Theatre, specifically the use of personal interviews.   

                There were a couple of points that particularly stood out to me; both having to do with the very nature of Verbatim Theatre itself.  The name implies that performances in this genre of arts will entail an exact reproduction of words belonging to persons other than the writer(s) of the play.  Depending on the nature of the subject matter, more often than not these productions are based off of personal interviews that contain numerous individual stories. These are then compiled together to convey the message that the writer intends.  The ethical dilemma comes into play through the question of whether or not a person can be completely separated from their own personal story.  While scholars can make arguments that no one can own a story, nevertheless many people feel they have a right to their own experiences, even if they choose to share them with other people (such as in the form of an interview to be included in a play).  What has been observed is that writers and producers of verbatim performances essentially take ownership of people’s stories when they record and then perform the words, thoughts, and ideas of their interviewees.   The other observation is that writers and producers have the capacity to capitalize tremendously (both in terms of money and fame) off of these plays.  The question here is whether or not it is ethical to profit off of other’s life experiences (even if they consent to sharing). 

                The solutions to these ethical dilemmas are important to everyone, but are particularly vital to our class.  I’ve always been a big believer in learning from other’s experiences (both positive and negative).  Of course you can’t base every action you take off of others before you, but you certainly can take them into account.  In our case, it would be wise to assure that no one we interview feels used or taken advantage off, no matter the outcome of this project.  The author of the first article used the term “negotiation” several times for good reason.  In my experience, when incorporating numerous opinions in a piece, it’s critical to be constantly evaluating progress and consensus as whole.  In our case, this would mean assuring that our interviewees are always comfortable with how we are using their stories and life experiences.  In regards to the second dilemma…we probably have nothing to worry about. 

From Vagina Monologues to STEM

          From a young age children realize both the anatomical and social differences between girls and boys. As we have been reading, this "realization" is learned and instilled by society by the types of toys children are given, the way they are taught in school and other social influences. The knowledge of ones body is an important thing for children to learn. I grew up on a home where sex and one's body was not discussed, EVER. I learned about the differences between men and women's bodies in school and in a 13 minute lecture the lesson about sex. I never got the birds and the bees talk. Watching the vagina monologues really opened my eyes to the different experiences women have and talk about. Having studied biology and taken several psychology classes I was most interested in the "Hair" monologue and I personally believe that it is society that is the ultimate cause of many of the issues addressed by the vagina monologues. In a critique by Jenae S., the author states that the Vagina Monologues made her feel uncomfortable because of "the idea that a vagina makes a woman, and that all women are ultimately reduced to their vaginas". In our production, I think that this issue should be addressed as well and that great effort should be taken to show that there is no stereotype for STEM students and that women and men of all ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations can thrive in the STEM field. In Schiebinger's chapter on the clash of the cultures, she states that many times pointing out the differences and the conflicts only creates greater division and perpetrates the issue (Schiebinger) . I think that one goal of our production should be to unite people and to encourage coalition and friendship as a way to bring about change in the STEM field.
           The Vagina Monologues are a great resource for our production and i thoroughly enjoyed watching them, so much that I will make a point to take my friends to the next production of the vagina monologues! However, I also think that its target audience is women and that our production needs to be accessible to both sexes. By making it accessible to both sexes, we will increase the likelihood that our message will be heard and that action will be taken to bring about change.

Hola Hola Hola

Hola,
My name is Aubrey Stiers. People often can't pronounce my last name and once a soccer coach told me that my first name reminded him of a type of cereal they eat in Britain. Anyways... I am a third year biology major and I am minoring in Spanish, hence the hola, and Latin American studies. This summer I studied abroad in Peru and loved it and now i'm back at Cal Poly busy with my two jobs and full class load. Unfortunately I have class every tuesday from 4:40-6pm so I will have to leave our honors seminar early to hike across campus in order to learn about molecular and cellular biology. I am really excited about our project and I'm very hopeful about making it happen! I look forward to collaborating with you all in the future!

Sincerely,
Aubrey Stiers

Vagina Monologs

   I have seen the theatrical version of the Vagina Monologs twice. My reaction to it was that of shock, not so much at its subject matter but at how much I enjoyed the performance. Yes the subject matter was out of the ordinary but I feel that it was used in much the same way as any other controversial subject matter is used to stem interest. Like for example when they first started saying, "bitch" on cable television. Yes we all watched and where like, "Can they say that on TV?" and yes it adds a sensational excitement to whatever is using it but because of examples like this I feel that I was better prepared for this particular instance of it; that and the name of the play kind of set it up to be in that sensational realm. I was surprised however by what I learned. I had no idea that there was such a negative outlook for females in regard to their own anatomy. As a man I am in "regular contact" with my "manhood." I mean even if I wanted to avoid it, it would be impossible. Women do not have this same experience. But even given that I was surprised to learn that many women have never even looked at their vaginas and that it seemed taboo to talk about them amongst other women. I grew up playing football all the way though high school and "locker room" chat was regular. Again in my singular experience men commonly talk about their penises in many different realms of conversation. As far as attending the play went, I did feel like an "outsider" being there as one of the few males in the audience. I think that many men feel that it is "not for men" and I attribute this to the name of the play. I think that this is something we should avoid. On its face our performance should not appeal to only one group of people. However I have heard conversation about how different monologs have been left out of the Vagina Monologs to stop from offending some people. I think this should be avoided as much as possible in our performance as well. When you begin to "water-down" your message to appeal to a larger audience you start to lose the message as well. But getting back on topic. I read an analysis by Alyssa Reiser about the Vagina Monologues and she criticizes the lack of certain experiences. For instance there are some monologues about child birth but there was not one about women who can not conceive. This I feel was more of an oversight than an omission but I think that we should try to keep an eye out for "big ticket" items like this that might be left out of our performance. A good way to do this is to look at different aspects of whatever problem we are addressing, like childbirth and the inability to conceive. All in all I thought that the play was eye opening and I had a good time. It brought up and answered questions and I feel that doing our STEM project this way could be very beneficial for our audience.

Reaction to the Vagina Monologues

           Upon reading a script of the Vagina Monologues, I find myself having mixed reactions.  After reflecting on some of my own observations as well as reading several reviews, ambivalence seems to be a normal response to the play.  Beginning with the positives, I felt that the play did an excellent job of opening up a casual conversation about a generally uncomfortable or just downright awkward part of everyday life.  By making the play in a dialogue/monologue format, Eve Ensler allows the tension surrounding the topic to be eased. 

            Beyond the immediate benefit of making some difficult conversations a little easier, there were several sections of the play that really concerned me.  For starters, the play seemed to emphasize too much on sexual pleasure.  In my personal opinion, it came off as unnecessary and crude for what Ensler was trying to accomplish.  I’m not saying that it has no place in the performance, but its extent and explicit nature made me (and probably others) feel a little uncomfortable.  To be fair, I wouldn’t have any desire to see a performance about men’s sexual exploits and their experiences either. 

            What stood out to me even more—no, what angered me—was the segment on the 24 year old lesbian woman who effectively committed a statutory rape against a 16-year-old girl (who it turns out was actually 14).  I know other instances of rape are mentioned in the play, and, while heartbreaking, should be included because they bring attention to a travesty that still happens everyday in this country and around the world.  What sets this example apart and what makes it so offensive is that the monologue is treated in a positive manner.  The younger girl is “freed” from her commitment to a heterosexual destiny.  While everybody is entitled to make sexual decisions regarding their orientation, what is not acceptable is for an older woman to sexually prey on a younger girl who is legally not capable of making such a decision. 

            After reading a number of reviews of the play, I discovered that many feminists, especially lesbian feminists, agree with me.  How could a play that is supposed to celebrate femininity and women’s liberties condone an act of rape?  Clearly the Vagina Monologue has had some positive impacts on women all over the world.  However, this is something I cannot overlook. 

The Vagina Monologues

When I first heard that we would be reading the Vagina Monologues for class this week, I was extremely unsure and skeptical about the topic. I have had friends growing up who were products of feminists, and they would talk about vaginas so casually it made me uncomfortable. It’s not like I’m a prude, or ashamed of it. I guess it was just something that was better left unsaid; we all know its there, but it is – in my opinion – the most personal and private part of the human body, and some things should be kept to oneself. It is because of this mindset that reading the Vagina Monologues was almost painful. I felt guilty reading it in public, and would be constantly checking over my shoulder to make sure a friend wasn’t reading it behind my back. But as I got more and more into the script, I found that the play took me by surprise. I had expected a bunch of outrageous and inappropriate details about vaginas that were aimed to shock audiences. And although there was plenty of shocking material, I found that the real message behind this vagina obsession is a good one.

Eve Ensler uses her outrageous dialogue about vaginas to draw in the audience, but then inserts a few touching stories about working with women that were victims of sexual abuse. She recounted a story about how a young girl, through various scarring events, came to hate and be ashamed of her own vagina. Ensler went on to describe how the girl was eventually able to recover and regain her love for her body and herself.  The story was touching and showed how this seemingly humorous obsession with vaginas is actually helping to make a difference in women’s lives.

Another way in which Ensler enhanced the effectiveness of her argument was her use of statistics. According to Ensler, over 700,000 women are raped in the United States per year. She then goes on to say “and in theory, we are not at war”, to show that stopping rape in the United States should be treated and funded as equally as fighting a war. Ideas like this one are why the Vagina Monologues push the envelope and really make the audience rethink their views on women and sexuality.