Happy V-Day!
Right away, my vagina knows it’s in good company. It can tell it is being talked about and praised; it’s eager to listen, and often adds an “Amen” and “Thank You Very Much” to the mix. And where else would my vagina feel such unity and exhaltation? At the Vagina Monologues, of course. No longer a virgin (I’ve seen it a couple of times before), I still forget about this consciousness that reaffirms itself ‘down there’ when my vagina gets together with friends. No sooner had the women on stage started rattling off wacky aliases for vaginas, than my very own “coochie-snorcher” chastised me for planning to take a break from the experience this year. After all, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve thought of myself as ‘a feminist’ or a ‘politically-active’ person, so I thought I had little to gain from seeing the Monologues again so soon. Fortunately, my dear friend was performing one of my (many) favorite parts – “My Short Skirt” – and I headed to the show on Saturday night. I am so grateful that these women had the courage and desire to do what they did for us up there. To remind us all of the intimate connection we share as humans and to honor a physical manifestation of womanhood that is often shunned or disrespected. The fact that they made chocolate vaginas (and penises this year!) for us to enjoy in addition to raising money for local organizations that make our community safer for us all, just goes to show what people are capable of when we share our heartfelt visions with others. This play and its power is one prime example, and the women who bring these words and experiences to life year-after-year are an inspiration to action. Viva Vaginas! *Do you have Vagina Monologue Uncertainty Syndrome? Maybe you’re not quite sure if you can handle this show yet? One way to test yourself is how you use the word “Vagina” out loud. If you can do it alone, then the show is sure to shock and awe you. If you can say it around someone you know well, then you might squirm in your seat at first, but you’ll be a Vagina Warrior by the end. If you’re someone who uses the word in public conversations, then you might as well be on stage yourself!
Obviously, my vagina also knew I was wrong to forgo the Monologues. It knew I had everything to learn – all over again. It wanted me to hear about hair, and pleasure, and love…and moaning. Oh yes, it was not to be missed, this moaning. Especially since it came from the Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy. It takes someone willing to be bold and expressive to do any part of this play, but to be this woman, it takes electricity and sensuality that can jump off the stage and bounce around the walls. She was amaaaaazing! I wonder if many of us could muster the sass and sounds coming from her even in the heat of passion, much less in front of an audience. Really, they were all incredible, they just didn’t all get to moooaaaaannnn. Some of them had to risk making us cry so that we could feel compassion for those who experience a darker side of being a woman. Another wanted us to laugh at a word that usually makes us shudder. And they all succeeded brilliantly.
