I love that feminist activists work to raise awareness of violence against women on Valentine's Day (duh), I mean considering I myself called it "hetero-normative, love-marriage construct hegemony day (I have been told this makes me a geek)." Beyond the capitalist motivations of creating a holiday that embraces the experience of *normal* straight couples, I think it is a perfect time to look at how abnormal (potentially filled with abuse, trauma, rape) relationships can be for women and people of other genders, sexualities and nationalities that hallmark didn't make a card for. Like you would never see a card saying, "Sorry you can't legally be recognized for the love you have for your transgender partner, but Happy Valentine's Day, anyway."
So it always freaks me out when I scour the interweb and find shit written by young women that *don't get* it. I found this opinion piece in the Post online, Ohio University's student run paper.
In one monologue, called "The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could," a 16-year-old girl describes how a 24-year-old woman gets her drunk, forces her to masturbate and then seduces her (in the original version, the girl is 13 years old). According to the law, sex between a 16-year-old and an adult is statutory rape - a form of violence against women. But in this case, the attacker gets a pass from feminists because she is a woman.A scene called "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy" features an attorney-turned-prostitute who caters exclusively to women. The play treats lesbian prostitution as an acceptable alternative to a real job: "There was nothing like this in tax law. There was no props, no excitement, and I hated those blue corporate suits." So much for the feminist claim that sex work dehumanizes women.
A third monologue, titled "Reclaiming Cunt," involves the actress leading the audience in a chant of the obscene slang term. People often use the word "cunt" as an abusive term to describe a woman herself, not the body part. Yet feminists would still like us to "reclaim" it.
Do you get the picture? None of this has anything to do with ending violence against women. In fact, it seems that the only connection "The Vagina Monologues" has to this mission is that proceeds from ticket sales are usually donated to a worthy organization, such as a domestic violence shelter.
I think we get the picture that homey didn't get it. This is just one example of a sentiment shared by many who just don't get/like this idea of reclaiming yourself as an act of empowerment (or are just grossed out by the whole process). My question is how do we a) get more young women to recognize the importance of V-day and b) let people know that Valentine's Day is just another way we are complicit in our own oppression?
Please excuse me while I go reclaim my cunt.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Vagina Monologue backlash.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/1686
I am as far left as a person can get but I do find "The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could," offensive. If thirteen year old daughter was "seduced" by a twenty-something woman, I would be on the phone to the cops. I do not get that one at all. As far as "reclaiming" the word "cunt" I don't want to "reclaim" it. You can have it. Besides, I think "pussy" is funnier to use and to say anyway.
Betty Dodsobn wrote a great essay on V-Day. As opposed to arguing here point, which I agree with, it's best to just let the essay speak for itself. Here's the link http://bettydodson.com/vaginano.htm
Maybe I was totally in the dark here, but whoever said that Valentine's day celebrations were restricted to straight couples?
I didn't say that only straight couples can celebrate it, I think everyone should be allowed and able too.
I just think it ignores all the fucked up shit surrounding love and marriage in our culture, such as uneequal power relations between men and women, gay marriage being banned state by state, women in abusive relationships that are in the closet, husbands that are just straight up in the closet, hehe.
thanks for the link to Betty Dodson's essay. Up until this point I considered myself a fan of hers but I lost a lot of respect for her after reading that. There are plenty of valid criticisms of the V-day concept, but she is over the top with arguing that sexual empowerment is somehow a more noble cause than reducing violence, poverty, or human rights abuses. Feminism is not a competition where we rank issues, but if it was, orgasms would not be at the top of my heirarchy of needs.
i don't think betty meant to take away from the importance of violence. but she's right -- as long as we associate violence with sex and sex with violence, how can we learn to have enjoying fulfilling sex AND live in a much more peaceful world??
sara... i completely agree with you and it's totally messed up when folks want to have a competition of what's the most important issue or who's the most oppressed/repressed/whatever...
that's how the fat cats can play us against each other mad easy...
i do have to take issue with your last sentence, though.. 'cos when i've been broke and living off of dried beans and rice for months on end, a good orgasm has made all the stress fade away.
I'm not diminishing the power of good sex and I think sexual empowerment has an important role to play in feminism. But poor Betty is unbelievably naive if she thinks orgasms alone will create justice for women. Pleasure is rad but survival comes first. I guess I do rank issues, after all.
"hetero-normative, love-marriage construct hegemony day (I have been told this makes me a geek)."
This (self-professed) geek thinks it makes you awesome.
As for Betty Dodson's essay, well, this feminist man thinks that once we've made a dent in rape, sexual abuse, genital mutilation and all the other horrible aspects of female disempowerment around the world, then we can start really focusing on the orgasms. Until then, I get the feeling that Dodson doth protest too much.
Here's another random thought of mine. I feel when it comes to hetero-normativity we often forget that we act hetero-normative when it comes to the issue of rape...as does the vagina monologues (as evidenced in the Coochi SNorcher). Women can rape other women and do. Here's another link I found for everyone http://www.sfwar.org/node/view/33 .
what are u pickin on this college kid for? so, she thinks the vagina monologues are stupid and she does not get it. That is likely the majority opinion, right or wrong, many feel it is not so dissimilar to a cult meeting.
betty d. was spot on the money the v monologues get it all wrong.
I have mixed feelings about the Little Coochi Snorcher, too. Although I am stating the obvious, it seems that regardless of the gender, sex shouldn't be experienced between adults and children. Adults ultimately hold the power in these situations, and we know that sexual violence doesn't have to be "violent". To maintain this concept only perpetuates the myths that adult survivors of child sexual abuse fight against everyday -- they must have wanted or condoned it because they didn't tell, or they experienced orgasms, or they didn't physically fight back, or they still cared for the person who perpetrated on them, or...the list goes on and on.
Importantly, the Monologues were drawn from interviews with real women, and these are their real stories (not necessarily verbatim, but these are the general stories that women told Ensler about their relationships with their vaginas). If these women found these experiences to be formative and positive, then who are we to question their own personal experiences?
My beef with "Little Coochie Snorcher" etc. is that these aren't necessarily presented as interviews but as generalized experiences that are positive in all circumstances. I know that I myself would call "LCS" statutory rape if it happened to me.
Wow, Betty Dodson's article really offended me.
Eve Ensler has a right to focus her attention on the issues that concern her, regardless of where the foundation of her ideas may (or may not) be based.
I agree with Sara and Puckalish when they say that there shouldn't be a competition between issues amongst feminists. Surely, there are enough feminists to bring attention to the many issues that concern us.
So, if Betty Dodson's message is purely about sexual pleasure - let her publicize it. She's got no right to try to guilt Eve Ensler onto her bandwagon.
I find Dodson's tone to be very "sour grapes" on this issue, particularly where she gets grouchy because she didn't get a VIP ticket at one point.
Why should Ensler give her a VIP ticket when Dodson's writing essays that bash Ensler's work?
However- as an activist in the area of violence against women, my personal bias gives much higher priority to fundraising, awareness-raising, and campaigning to end violence against women. Women who want to explore or enhance their sexual experience hardly need millions of dollars in funding to do so.
hmmm, i've only ever seen vm performed on a college campus by young women, where even at a fairly conservative liberal arts college they sold out a whole weekend of shows every year. and the folks participating in it loved it, and it was well received by the community. in terms of the coochie snorcher and other ambiguous ones. i don't think we have to comfortable with everything that other people are comfortable with. but, as has been pointed out before, that woman found that experience liberating/empowering in some ways (and not in others) and we would do well to honor that.
I totally disagree. I think that V-Day, while important for its fundraising and to some degree its consciousness-raising abilities, is not in any way something that young women need to recognize as important to them. There are lots of highly significant critiques of The Vagina Monologues, apart from any problem with reclamation. Personally, I find the V-Day movement so flawed that I don't want anything to do with it. There are other ways, more in line with my radical politics, that I can work to end violence against women.
hello! http://www.areaseo.com/contacts/ google pr. Professional SEO, pagerank algorithm, Web Site Analysis. From google pr .
I think Eve Ensler is disturbed.
A celebrated hate monger. No better than any of the worst misogynists in literature, I hope that’s how she goes down in history.