Victory, Valentine, and Vagina

By Broadside Asst. Style Editor Nicole Ocran
Photo by Photography Editor Courtney Erland

This past weekend, 13 George Mason University female students joined “all together. All talking about vaginas. All night long,” for the eighth performance of The Vagina Monologues at Mason under the V-Day College Initiative, all under the direction of graduating theater major Jesse Shipley.

These Mason women performed to an nearly full house on Friday evening in honor of the tenth anniversary of V-Day.
Junior theater major Ashley Jones threw the audience into hysterics with her performance of “My Angry Vagina,” while she ranted and raged about tampons and thong underwear.

Senior psychology major Sofia Nordgren, with her performance of “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy” in which she demonstrated varieties of orgasms, pleased the enthusiastic crowd.

Junior Rachel Cunico shocked spectators with “Reclaiming Cunt,” as she did just that, while Jones, senior English major Elizabeth Prescott and freshman global affairs major Kelsey Wilkens silenced onlookers with “In the Memory of Her Face” where they performed pieces about a woman who was raped for seven days by soldiers, a missing girl and another woman whose face was burned off by her husband using acid.

Every year in honor of V-Day, which is “a global movement to stop violence against women and girls,” according to the V-Day website, another monologue is added to bring to light current issues surrounding women.

This year, “Spotlight 2008” was performed by Nordgren and focused on the women of New Orleans and the Gulf South who are affectionately referred to as “Katrina Warriors.” These women have become a collective symbol for women suffering in devastated communities.

The Vagina Monologues is an Obie award- winning play written by Eve Ensler in 1996 after conducting interviews with 200 women to discuss issues such as assault and violence against women, sex and their relationships.

Previous Vagina Monologue actresses have included Oprah Winfrey, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Fonda, Alanis Morissette, Queen Latifah and Melissa Etheridge.

V-Day strives to empower oppressed, victimized women, and once the global nonprofit organization has reached that goal, they will refer to Feb. 14 as “Victory over Violence Day.” Valentine’s Day is declared as “V-Day” until violence toward women is stopped. They have since raised over $50 million for anti-violence organizations.

The V-Day event was sponsored by Sexual Assault Services under the direction of Connie J. Kirland, who produced the event, and by the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education directed by Susan Stahley.

Before Friday’s show began, a survey was passed out to be filled out by show’s end, to ask for suggestions for the future performances of the Vagina Monologues and what steps should be taken in the fight against violence towards women, and volunteers with Sexual Assault Services and the Office of Alcohol, Drug, and Health Education.

At the end of the performance, pink and red carnations were handed out to audience members as they left as a fond reminder of the show.

Tables were set out with pamphlets and information on a variety of topics ranging from advice to victims of rape and how to practice safe sex. These pamphlets can be found in the Sexual Assault Services office.

A letter from Eve Ensler was passed out. Ensler invites people to bring or send 10 people on April 11 and 12 to New Orleans and asks them to join her to “plant marsh grass, dance in the streets, turn the superdome into superlove, hear stories, honor the earth and women’s bodies, fight for racial justice, demand equitable housing and healthcare, support men in being vulnerable, end war, eat great food, and conjure revolution.”

The performance benefits the George Mason University Victims of Violence Fund, Tahirih Justice Center and Victim Assistance Network.

To volunteer for the Victim Assistance Network hotline or other volunteer work, call (703) 360-7273.