V-Day & The Vagina Monologues
By Grace Carballo ‘17
On Friday, or Valentine’s Day Eve some might choose to say, I attended USC’s annual performance of The Vagina Monologues at Ground Zero. I went into it with very little prior knowledge about the show itself and left with tremendous respect for the performers, organizers, and even the audience. Oh, and of course, vaginas.
The script itself was written based on interviews the author, Eve Ensler, had with real women in the late 1990s and later made into a series of monologues.
All of the proceeds from USC’s rendition, in the form of donations, went to A Window Between Worlds, a nonprofit dedicated to using art to empower and help heal people impacted by violence and trauma. I cannot think of a more beautiful and worthwhile mission.
The USC women who performed these monologues were amazing. I love a strong female lead, and I love several strong female leads even more. They fearlessly described and dramatized topics that some might dub taboo or uncomfortable, topics I definitely don’t hear in casual conversation except maybe with the closest of friends.
The Vagina Monologues are by no means light-hearted; they are real. At one point, the audience was reclaiming the “c word” by chanting it (though I do recognize now that it is a lovely word, I’m pretty sure this being a university-affiliated blog I shouldn’t spell it out just yet). Later, we snapped and nodded in solidarity as one of the actresses ranted about tampons and other injustices. I had chills when the voice of a young girl described her rape; a harsh but necessary reminder of the real reason we were all there. I felt a whole spectrum of emotions throughout the 100ish minute performance and from those who I talked to about it after, I was not alone in this.
I have such a respect for the organizers for working to end violence against women; for being so real and empathetic, when it is so easy to fall into the superficiality all around us, especially around Valentine’s Day.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see so many males in the audience, which is probably presumptuous of me. In my defense, I came with an all-female organization I am involved in, USC’s WYSE or Women and Youth Supporting Each Other. The Vagina Monologues, certainly written and performed by females, is much like the feminist movement itself in that it is even more powerful when males understand they too can and should play a role. Seeing guys who lived on my floor freshman year, strangers, and those there supporting the actresses really warmed my heart.
If you missed it, don’t fret too much. The V-Day Organization at USC, with the support of WSA, puts on the show annually. Regardless of where you are in your love life circa February 2016, you have something to look forward to next Valentine’s Day!
And remember, as the event description summarized, “A woman is so much more than the sum of her parts.”
