On Feb. 2, 9, and 23, Jazmine’s Thai Restaurant hosted the Vagina Monologues. These monologues are based on actual interviews with women about their very own vaginas. These interviews vary from humorous topics, to more serious topics, such as abuse, sexual assault, and the practices of genital mutilation.
Every year, the V-Day movement hosts various events that act to centralize their main cause—educating the world about violence and abuse towards women and girls all over the world. The Vagina Monologues are held in many “vagina friendly” cities and towns. All of the proceeds gained from the performances are given to local shelters and crisis centers for women.
This year, the Vagina Monologues donated all of their revenue, from the performances, to The Crime Victim’s Center of Chester County (CVCOFCC). The CVCOFCC is located in town, and they provide free services to victims that reside in Chester County. They help victims of rape, sexual and non-sexual crime, and abuse obtain the resources that they need in a confidential manner.
I was able to attend two nights’ worth of performances. The first night of the Vagina Monologues fell on Super Bowl Sunday, so the crowd was smaller and, to my surprise, more guys attended the monologues than I originally thought. On the contrary, the third night was a completely full house. Both men and women seemed to enjoy the monologues. Many of the topics were relatable and the others that were not, were still extremely eye opening to me. The performances about the mass rape of women and genital mutilation that occurs in other countries (and within tribes) really resonated with me. It is not often that we hear about these issues, but it is important that we do. When we live in a world filled with horrors of abuse, sex trafficking, and violence towards women (and even men) of all ages, it is hard to escape the fact that these are real issues that need to be addressed.
In short, the Vagina Monologues are a great, fun way to become educated and aware of these issues. I encourage anyone, male or female, who is interested in the cause to attend the performances. To find Vagina Monologue events in your area, visit http://vspot.vday.org/
Stephanie is a third-year student majoring in communicative disorders major. She can be reached at SF767711@wcupa.edu.