Vagina Season
by Shivie
Did I get your attention? Funny that, I have found I have received a great deal of attention recently as I use the word “vagina” in conversations held in public. Seriously, if you want attention just work the word vagina into the conversation and everyone will look to you almost in disbelief that they just heard you say that word. The most gratifying response of course is a nod or comment from someone who hears the word and doesn’t feel a tingle of something (most often some form of disgust) down their spine.
In the last two years I have become a part of a group of women that call themselves “Vagina Warriors.” They are a powerful group of women, an eclectic mix, as eclectic as, if I might say, a vagina. Across the cultural, societal and individual differences and barriers, Vagina Warriors are united by two common themes—they have vaginas, and they have a passion and commitment to have those vaginas, and all vaginas, honored in society and life itself.
This movement is about more than what many just label as “feminist issues.” All over the world, in various scenarios and circumstances, women are being abused and mutilated. At the center of all this abuse and mutilation is the vagina. As a double blow to the women who find themselves abused and/or mutilated, in most societies and cultures, it is taboo in some form to talk about their experience. Through this impermeable, yet so definitely there, layer of taboo, women are shamed and humiliated when they try to bring the situation to someone’s attention. And that is only in the so-called “developed” cultures. In may more primitive cultures women have no voice whatsoever and in such instances they are abused and considered tainted, often cast out by their family and village.
Another theme that unites those abused is that the crimes against them are almost always committed by men. I say almost always because sometimes women perpetrate the same crime that they too once suffered. Take female genital mutilation (FGM), which is practiced across Africa. FGM is often practiced by the elder women. It is a tradition in a culture that is older than we can comprehend. It has its roots steeped in history. But “tradition” does not always equal “right”—but this is a whole other topic. The point I want to make is that women are suffering at the hands of both the perpetrator and their society—and they are the victim.
Oftentimes, the abuser gets away with their abusive behavior because the victim has no voice. No one wants to hear about such things. Yet every woman who is abused is also a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, or friend to someone, perhaps many people. So why shouldn’t they have voice? Why can’t they stand up and say, with dignity, that something terrible happened to them at the hands of another, and be comforted, not ostracized.
Enter V-Day and her army of Vagina Warriors. V-Day is a global movement founded by the powerhouse of all vaginas, award-winning author Eve Ensler, as an organized response against violence toward women and girls. V-Day raises funds and awareness to end violence against women through benefit productions of Eve’s most popular play, The Vagina Monologues (amongst other works by the author). The Vagina Monologues has been published in 45 languages and performed in over 130 countries, from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and all of North America.
More than 4,000 benefit events for V-Day took place in 2009, both in the U.S. and around the world. Since its inception in 1998, V-Day has raised more than $70 million to fund programs and education worldwide. V-Day has initiated more than 5000 community-based anti-violence programs, as well as setting up safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq.
V-Day has vowed to continue until the violence stops, everywhere for everyone. Each year more and more people become involved with V-Day (mostly women, but there are men involved, and they are made very welcome among the sea of vaginas). And once you get a taste of life as a Vagina Warrior, there is no going back.
Worldwide during the months of December through April, Vagina Warriors begin auditions and rehearsals (the “Vagina Season”). After three months of rehearsals they gather in their respective cities (across the world) and perform The Vagina Monologues. For those months of the year it is almost as if you can hear the word vagina being screamed from the rooftops—and this is what we need. We need for the word vagina to be heard and respected, not feared and mutilated. Whilst one of us hurt, we all hurt.
This was my second Vagina Season being involved with the Monologues and it was as thrilling and deeply painful as the first time. Last year was my not only my first performance in The Vagina Monologues, it was also my first performance, period. I had always wanted to perform but never had the opportunity. And then I was asked to audition by the producer.
This year I was asked back and performed “The Vagina Workshop,” which at some 13 minutes was quite the monologue to memorize. It is a fun piece to do because it has so many layers and the character is a British woman (like me) who has no relationship with her vagina (ahem, unlike me—obviously!). So she goes to a workshop. Her monologue is the story of the transformation that takes place there.
I thank Goddess for people like Eve every day. She is fearless, and has courage, passion and determination. She will not accept women being raped and mutilated either here or anywhere else in the world, and she will keep gathering her army, and we will continue to come and multiply quite literally “Until the Violence Stops.”
If you want to find us, look for us during Vagina Season. You will find us rehearsing and shouting “vagina” from the rooftops.
For more information on V-Day please go to www.vday.org. And if you would like to see my performance this year, here it is (part two immediately below).
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