On Thursday night, Feb. 16, 2017, I attended Kutztown University’s annual student production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. I saw the show my freshman year as well, but this year, it felt heavier. It felt monumental. In a time when women are being challenged to stand up for themselves and their rights, this production could not be more appropriate. The monologues are told from the voices of women of all ages and backgrounds, and they address several different issues including sex, masturbation, rape, transphobia, and genital mutilation. Bringing these issues to light is an important part of understanding the way women have been treated throughout history. Although some of the monologues are based on events that took place about forty years ago, they all remain relevant. It’s about time we start talking about women, about our bodies, and our rights. It’s about time we do not allow anyone to silence us, that we push the conversation into action.
The show was originally written to celebrate women, but has notably become a way to help stop violence against women. On Eve Ensler’s official website, under The Vagina Monologues page, there is an explanation about the production’s proceeds policy: “The purpose of these events is to raise awareness about violence against women and girls as well as raise money (100% of the proceeds must be donated) for local beneficiaries that are working to end violence.” All of the proceeds from KU’s production were put towards helping women fleeing violence and domestically unsafe situations (providing money for travel expenses, etc.). I think it is incredible that eleven years after this production was first put on, it is still providing an outlet for information and resources to those who need it.
As the emotions built throughout the show, I couldn’t help but shed tears as the last several monologues rang through the auditorium. The third to last monologue “My Revolution Lives in This Body” especially resonated with me. It felt like it had been written yesterday. Ensler wrote the call for action in 1996 but it still holds just as much meaning and power (arguably more) as it did when The Vagina Monologues was first written. If the recent state of our government and the laws that are already being set forward horrify you, Ensler’s words are something to carry with you: “My revolution is willing to die for this/My revolution is ready to live big/My revolution is overthrowing the state/Of mind called patriarchy.” We, as the unit that is women, must stand together against the patriarchy. We must challenge their ideals every day. We must question and disrupt and revolt. As Ensler continues on to say, “My revolution is not violent but it does not shy away from the dangerous edges where fierce displays of resistance tumble into something new.” We do not have to be violent to gain attention, we honestly just need to be annoying. Be violently insistent. Be fiercely empathetic. Be dangerously compassionate. Resist, persist, and “Go ahead. Love.”