Boy, did this reading fly by! I found myself laughing out loud at times, but also I was taken back by a few of the stories. I really think I need to read through again and see if my perception changes on certain issues.

I do not feel that this book is controversial at all. It is a celebration of female sexuality and a critique of violence against women. I feel the criticism of Eve Ensler stems from traditionally conservative attitudes to sex. It recognizes that vaginas do exist, it's like a reconnection, making us aware that vulvas are a part of women and sacred, connected to the mind and not a shameful thing, and that "vagina" itself is not a dirty word. I think the work was a milestone in raising the profile of the rights of women. Though some have suggested changing the title, to some extent, the title of the play is a significant part of the whole. Looking forward to the rest of it.

I must say I really enjoyed hearing all of the different perspectives in class today, some I feel I shared and some I feel I could not identify with at all but that just goes to show you that this book seems to appeal to many different sides of feminism. Anyway, although I agree with what the majority of the rest of the class said today I still stand by my own viewpoint in that our society has really devalued the art of personal and private space almost to the point that we really have nothing for ourselves making it seem as though what makes us unique is for anyone who wants to see and know. I have always been in favor of letting someone know me well, however, compromising my own sense of self will not make me happy enough when most of us, including myself, wish to find a balance between private selfhood and sharing this selfhood with those who respect it and take it for the exact way it is without major alterations.

 I wholeheartedly agree that the notion of privacy (or lack of same)has really gone "down the tubes" lately, and some of the VM chapters definitely illustrate that. (And yes, I am hung up on this--but the continual media ads for erectile dysfunction and similar erstwhile-private issues are really driving me batshit. Those, and feminine hygiene ads--I mean, jeeez! Do we REALLY need to be deluged with such intimate issues? --But I digress:)
 However, even while clucking my tongue, I am also open-minded enough to revel in the freedom and sense of liberation that classes and readings such as this allow--shoot, I have made confessions both aloud and in my journal entries and papers that I am neither ashamed of, nor am I second-guessing myself for having made in the first place, and the open-mindedness and acceptance of this class as awhole has been wonderfully refreshing and invigorating. (Thanks to all of you, BTW.)
 Anyway, I guess what it all comes right down to is that, as I said in class today, my genitalia has never been my focal point or what I consider to be my "identity"--it is a part of me with which I sometimes agree and sometimes disagree, but it is NOT my --what's the French phrase?--raison d'etre??? I also reiterate that READING these VM pieces is far more enjoyable; to be honest, I was so nonplussed at the performance several years ago that I fell asleep in self-defense!

It's a little odd, but what I love most about the Vagina Monologues is what it seemed to receive the most criticism for today in class--that it talks about intimate, personal things...VAGINAS! (hehe!) Perhaps it is partly because I come from a VERY small rural town where the idea of sex education could basically be summed up by three words: "Don't have sex." I was raised to be afraid of sex, afraid of possible emotional ramifications and, of course, afraid of town's taboo attitude toward unwanted pregnancy. Our local parish priest explained to all of the young teenage girls that young men always want to have sex, but it is the role of the unmarried female to stop him. (Yikes!) Thus, I grew up sitting cross-legged and never wanting to look--never wanting to see what the tampon instructional illustrations made look so ugly and uncivilized. Hearing the Vagina Monologues for the first time several years ago made me feel empowered. For the first time, I felt in control of my body and comforted that so many other women had exercised the same control to learn about their body and become comfortable with it, celebrate it in whatever (no matter how bizarre) way they wanted. To me, the Vagina Monologues is not about violating the privacy of something that is supposed to be sacred to oneself, but about celebrating that part of our bodies--and not because that part is the only thing to women or because a person needs a vagina to be a woman but because it is probably the most "historically oppressed" body part. Don't you think? I think that the Vagina Monologues offers women a chance to share, laugh about, and reclaim a piece of our anatomy which has often been degraded. I dig it.

Edited by author 03-10-2004 08:30 PM
Although I understand where Kathy and Jessica are coming from with the privacy issue (or lack thereof), I side a bit more with Lauren on this one. I do not think that this book was at all intended as an exploitation or intrusion of/on a woman's vagina. I think the point was that we can talk about our elbows and feet, even our hearts and our heads without shame, but for decades, if the word "vagina" was mentioned, "SHHH!" was all we heard. This word alone and all of its glories were pushed behind a Private door and locked up, and i feel that Ensler's mission was to get it out in the light. Perhaps some of it is shock value, but if you think this book is pushing the privacy, start reading Cunt now...That is a shocking book, but also very essential to the progress of body image and acceptance. I think that all of our discussion and agreement/disagreement just proves how important this book is. Yes, i do have ceratin issues with it (My strongest being the rhetorical issue of how this book was written through a one woman tunnel vision) but i firmly believe that it is an important work and has extreme potential to open our eyes up to problems and issues that have, for years, been seen as "Private."

My feeling on the Vagina Monologues, having had so much experience with it is this, I do not feel that it should be so heavily critiqued. Not only from the old men sitting in their big chairs wondering what is happening to the world, but also by women like us. I am not exactly a feminist, though I think I strive to be. I do feel, however, that this book is a celebration, as joe said, and that it is only one aspect of womanhood. I know that for each book we read we find what exactly is missing, but I feel that if every book included everything, all the books would be the same. I like that the Vagina Monologues are left open. I appreciate that Eve (as though we are on a first-name basis) allows for the reader to take and give whatever they are willing, no more, no less. I think that though we are scholarly students, we, as women and supporters of women, should see the beauty and courage in writing and reading something like this. It is a freedom we have fought hard ofr, and so what if Eve did not cover every ground. She put something out there she felt was important, and I admire her for doing so.

I first posted this on week 6, but now its here. Im not sure what week we are on, but I am writing about the monologues (is that spelled right?) anyway, as per our discussion on wednesday, i still feel that a vagina surgery is not much different than other surgeries that help to make women feel better about themselves. However, I would go as far as saying that any type of surgery to enhance your appearence other than a health issue is not right. All of these issues of womens bodies resort back to a think pink mentality where the idea of beauty is defined by the media establishment. I was listening to Howard Stern this morning, and a woman was trying to get him to buy her breast implants. She said her breasts were the size of lemons. Believe it or not, Stern said she didnt need them becasue they were in proportion with her body. This reminded me of the movie Beautiful Girls, and a scene were Rosie Odonnell was talking about the fakeness of women in magazines like playboy and that in reality big women have the big breasts and big butts, and little women had little breasts and little waists. The scene was funny but it definitely rings with truth. As far as the issue of the monologues themselves, I am not as shocked as some of you, but I also don't deal with the same issues as women. However, I can say that my friends and I, do not compare penis's in the locker room like someone in class suggested but we do however joke about it being our brain, etc. I think on that issue, men are disgusting, and women do not act the same. Does anyone see where I am going here or am I alone?

Edited by author 03-12-2004 11:18 AM
After reading the Vagina Monologues, I was left with a sense of empowerment. I think...like Lauren... this stems from my growing up in a very conservative small town. However, after further reflection upon the VM, I felt that the VM left out some very important issues and did not seem to lead towards any greater meaning. Personally, I enjoy reading something that draws everything together and offers some type of conclusion. Hence I think that the VM relied on shock value so much that it left this element out. Now I am not in any way saying that shock value is not a very effective method, I just wish that VM would have drawn these shocking moments together some way. After Wednesday's class, I thought that a lot of very valid observations were made whether I could relate to it or not. Overall, I really did enjoy reading the VM.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the readings from Vagina Monologues. I have to admit that from all of last years talk about it, I really wasn't sure of what to expect. But I have to say that after reading about the other college experiences with it, I was truly sadden that our school wouldn't allow the production. I think that there is so much that could have been done with it and while I don't know all that much about why it wasn't done, I really feel that we missed out on an oppurtunity to do something different and that would have an impact on the community. Oh well, maybe one day we will be able to openly talk about vaginas and the violence against women. Overall I was really impressed with the book, but in the little portion that we watched from the video, I have to say that Eve Ensler didn't impress me at all. Can't wait for more discussion on it though

I like the essence of the monologues. Most of them are very amusing and some of them are disturbing, but I think that that is the point. We cannot always be in our comfort zone when it comes to things we normally do not talk about. Unfortunately, the thing most women do not talk about is their vaginas. The monologues are a great medium to hear the unheard voices and see what else has been going on with women in general. Eve, as annoying as she is, did fall onto something great when she started all this hooplah. There are certain taboos in our culture that are beginning to deconstruct and female sexuality, genitalia and pleasure are some of those things. Before they were seen as something mysterious and covert, with only a brazen few who would openly discuss and promote these topics in public. Now with the VMs women can talk and do talk about their putanascas (actually it's a sauce, but I thought it sounded kind of like one of those vagina names ha!) freely without thinking that it is something they are not supposed to be talking about. I think everyone should read or see (the no Eve version) the VMs to experience what all the rage is and judge it for themselves. The VMs have provided a phenomenal outlet for women who have never had that liberty before. Eve is not trying to heal all the oppression that has occurred to women and she can't address everyone's needs, but at least she has started something good. I believe it is our jobs to take it to that next level.

I have enjoyed the discussions that we have in class. I read VM when I was working out every morning and I found myself laughing at some of the pieces. However, I agree that the monologues do allow women to be and feel comfortable in talking about their clitoris, vulva, etc. and not feel ashamed about it, as many people have been taught to do. I believe that goes along with the taboo of peoples view about the vagina. As has been stated by other in class. It is a good medium for women to be free to talk about our genitilia and not be shushed. As I said before, I found myself laughing at some of the monologues but then there were others that had a sad effect on me. I did not care for the fact that Eve just happened to make not that the monologue "The Little Coochi Snorcher" was by a [Southern woman of color], what does that point have to do with anything. Also, since Eve interviewed a wide range and class of persons, there were no monologues from married women who have a positive relationship. I think the monolouges are overrated.

When I first read VM, I was so excited b/c of all the controversy. I felt like I was sneaking or doing something bad, almost like I was about to discover some hidden truth that no one else knew about. I always thought that I was raised pretty openly being able to talk about my female genitalia. After reading the book, I realized that I was not as open as I should have been. I don’t even think that, in my conversations about my vagina, I even used the word. I called my vagina a lot of other things rather than what it was. I guess my friends and I were embarrassed. After I read the book the first time, it inspired me to evaluate my own life and I wrote my own monologue. That was one of the most liberating things that I have ever done and it got more liberating when I was able to share it with others. I agree with my other class mates about this being the point. I can confess that I never did learn any hidden truth about vaginas from the book but it definitely made me comfortable talking about it. I also found comfort in the fact that I was not alone in some of my thoughts and experiences. Eve (since that’s how everyone else has referred to her) took a very bold stand by putting the issue on the table. She sparked conversation and individual investigation. And now we can say it loudly with out blushing “VAGINA, VAGINA, VAGINA”. That’s the point, about making people comfortable, not forcing them to share their privacy if that’s not what their vagina may want. If your vagina does not what to come out and talk, then it is her right to wear a muzzle. I’m still trying to figure out what mine will wear, probably something green and earthy looking. I agree that the book is a little over rated but it served its purpose and now its time for us to take it one step further.