To close out Women’s History Month and begin Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Women’s Center and volunteers performed a rendition of The Vagina Monologues by V (formerly Eve) Ensler, a playwright and activist who has won Tony and Obie awards.
The Vagina Monologues is a play featuring numerous stories of what it means to be a woman or a person with a vagina. These stories described violence committed against women, sexual harassment and assault, lack of knowledge regarding reproductive and genital features, female empowerment, vagina facts, sex, hair and more from the perspectives of people in different ages age groups, with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and with different sexualities.
Each story was performed by a different person or group of people, but there were some talented overlapping actors. These actors included students, volunteers and interns from the Office of Violence Prevention and the Women’s Center, faculty at Ramapo College, and even a Ramapo alumni.
The faculty members who acted in this performance were Marie-Danielle Attis, Christine Millien and Elena Yee. Attis is the Center for Student Involvement assistant director and overseer of the Women’s Center and LGBTQ+ Services at Ramapo. Millien is the Education Opportunity Fund office coordinator and Yee is the LGBTQ+ liaison at Ramapo Counseling Services.
The entirety of the show took about 1.5 hours, but refreshments were served after for all those in attendance. It was free for anyone to attend.
Some sections of the performance focused on female empowerment, such as reclaiming words. In particular, words such as “cunt” and “vagina,” the former has been considered a slur, and the latter being a word many are simply told not to use, claiming it sounds gross.
However, these stories spoke of change and taking action to use these words as your own and as a way to promote acceptance. Discussions surrounding these words may also increase knowledge.
For example, one story — “The Vagina Workshop” — detailed a woman’s experience at a class teaching her about her own body, something likely unfathomable to men. Some stories included other misinformation girls had been told, such as the idea that a vagina could fall out, which the character was afraid of.
There were recurring stories as well, such as the “Outrageous Vagina Fact,” “Happy Vagina Fact” and a “Not-So-Happy Fact,” which helped educate the audience about AFAB (assigned female at birth) people’s bodies and experiences and safety in different countries.
Other portions of The Vagina Monologues described sexual violence among women, including that of a young girl. The actors playing these roles were incredibly talented and conveyed their stories well.
Audience members could feel the passion behind the actors and how hard they’d worked on this project. Additionally, it was a good way to spread awareness regarding women and AFAB people’s safety, as well as a place to simply celebrate vaginas. At the end of the event, it was announced that this show will be performed again next year, and everyone is welcome to attend or participate.
jamabil3@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Jessica Amabile
