It's almost V-Day! And you know what that means... time to take stock of all the right-wingers around the country going nuts because some gals want to take this opportunity to say the word "vagina" and raise money to fight violence against women.
First up, the Seattle Times has refused to print an ad (at right) for a performance of the Vagina Monologues sponsored by the local office of the National Council of Jewish Women. The ad was carried by other local publications.
"The artwork was created by a member of my congregation," says Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of B'nai Torah, which is located in Bellevue. "We have it hanging in several places in our Temple. I was just very disappointed that the Times didn't share our appreciation for what I consider to be tasteful and beautiful artwork."
Agreed, Rabbi.
An email from the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (they of the "conservative hotties" calendar), indicates the organization is, like, totally grossed out by a vagina costume:
Share Your V-Day Stories With UsThese days, even God’s country is no longer safe from V-Day activities. A student from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina sent us this photo of a vagina costume used as a promotional device for the play (viewer discretion advised).
A walking vagina on campus may seem extreme, but we know such blatant vulgarity isn’t isolated. If your college has a Vagina Monologues production, you probably have already come across some lewd promotional tactic. We want to know what’s going on at your school.
EW, vag-costume promotional device! Let's hope nobody sent these ladies a picture of the vagina sofa. They'd probably have a heart attack.
A V-Day production in Temecula, California has drawn complaints:
"In reality, 'The Vagina Monologues' does more to distort the truth about men, the truth about women and the truth about sexuality," said Bridget Blanton, of Temecula.
Um, has Bridget checked between her legs recently? The vag is truly a "reality" of most women's lives.
At St. Louis University, one of many Catholic universities where the Monologues have been banned, the campus feminist group, UNA, scheduled an off-campus performance... which campus administrators are trying to shut down. UNA member Anu Okuyemi explained the back story in an email:
Last year, in 2007 UNA was told by the SLU administration that we would no longer be allowed to perform The Vagina Monologues on campus--ever. On top of this, we are not allowed to advertise on campus at all, or even set up tables to sell tickets. Determined to still raise money for our charities, we found an off campus location last year and the protests and controversy surrounding the production helped us sell out all our performances.The reason the administration gave us for banning the Monologues was that having the production every year was "redundant." They told us that they would be willing to support a future V-Day campaign on-campus if we found another production to do instead.
This year, we are once again performing The Vagina Monologues off-campus, and to avoid "redundancy," we chose another Eve Ensler production, A Memory, A Monologue, and Rant, and a Prayer (MMRP) to be performed on campus to raise awareness. We thought that this would satisfy the administration. We thought wrong. Just a week before MMRP was scheduled to run, we were told that they would not approve the play. They said that this production was basically "Vagina Monologues 2," and in order to be "consistent" with their previous decision they could not allow MMRP on campus since the Monologues were already banned.
Yeah, we call bullshit.
Elsewhere around the country, anti-vag wingnuts in Pennsylvania are sending threatening letters to theaters planning Monologues performances. And in Indiana, a conference of bishops fled the campus of Notre Dame, which is hosting a production of the Monologues, and instead chose to convene at a nearby convent. Where they are guaranteed not to have to hear the V-word.
And finally, in cheerier news, the website for this year's big blowout V-Day event in New Orleans has introduced me to something awesome: ({}) The vagina emoticon. So great.
Our previous posts on V-Day:
Anti-feminists hate vaginas
D-constructing V-day
The Hoohah Monologues?! and follow-up, "Vagina" deemed suitable for public consumption
Vagina Monologue backlash
They don't want your dirty vagina money
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"redundant?" That is the saddest excuse for banning the play I've heard so far. Somehow I don't think they ban other charity drives for being redundant, even if they have the same 5k run or walk every year.
no no! the vagina emoticon is ({^}) . Otherwise you're missing something kind of important.
Firinel my beloved suggests ({ô}) which is even better but is untypable on most US keyboards.
I can relate--I'm currently at a Catholic campus that hates vaginas. sigh. We're doing our best though--it's just damn tiring continually fighting with the administration or pleading with other groups to sponsor us. So many fricken loopholes to try and jump through. We won't stop though. Viva la Vagina!
I also LOVE that emoticon (!!!)
I attend the all-women's Catholic sister school of Notre Dame. Their production of TVM were finally allowed back on campus this year after having been kicked off a few years back. There are LOTS of great stories at our online newspaper: www.ndsmcobserver.com
At my school, we write our own monologues specific to the issues on our campus community. We still get a lot of backlash, but it's good press. :-)
I thought the vagina emoticon was ({i})
I saw the Vagina Monologues when I was in high school. I don't think I was mature enough to get it all, and I'd love to see it again.
({})
I was outraged to see "Your Va-Jay-Jay" as a headline on the most recent issue of Cosmo. It's ridiculous that we can't celebrate or even learn about our bodies without using baby terms. Consider me pissed off!
I used to attend App State in Boone. Their Vagina Monologue production was always really cool. And I'm definitely not surprised to see that costume, they always came up with neat stuff. I'm more surprised that an App Student was offended by it.
Although, I think it's important to note that they also did a male version of the Monologues called What's Left of Him that was also very powerful. Basically, a group of guys all doing very personal skits (they changed every year, the group always wrote them) talking about, and questioning, what it is to be a man in today's society. Very cool.
I have to say I just don't get this issue at all. Personally, the Vagina Monologues just doesn't resonate with me at all. (I never knew there was a taboo against saying vagina until other feminists told me there was, and while I've had serious issues with many parts of my body, that's one of the few I haven't.)
It just seems really silly to me that so much energy--on both sides--goes into this ONE play, and this whole sort of cottage industry (not the right word exactly b/c it's mostly charitable stuff, but I'm sure someone, somewhere is making $ selling vulva lollipops or something) has sprung up around it, and there does seem to be this message that "if you don't see this as life changing and hugely important, then you're not a real feminist."
Not to mention that rehashing this same production, and same activities around it year after year just sounds kind of stultifying to me. I'd much rather see a week of productions of new work from an array of less well-known new female playwrights with their own diverse visions about women's concerns, and bodies, and what it means to be a woman. Eve Ensler is famous enough. Give some newer people a chance to break through, see their work produced on campus, maybe change a life, create the next generation of Enslers.
I just don't get the current focus on this one particular play.
I have been visiting and reading Feministing for a long time now after reading Jessica's book. But this is my first time actually leaving comment.
I just wanted to say that I am excited to celebrate V-Day by seeing The Vagina Monologues at the University of Toledo. I even got some friends to come along with me!
If I were to flip that ad around and make it a stylized though tasteful picture of a penis, I would not find it appropriate for a major published newspaper. Nor do I find the vagina-ad so. I do love the picture, but not in print.
I want to send out a supportive yell to my sisters in St. Louis. Keep fighting, ladies! You'll win over the university yet. I bet they don't call off the homecoming football game because it happens every year.
Another Catholic-college-TVM story: the president's office of my alma mater gets flak every year from vagina-haters. Her for assistant (who just retired) had an adept way of handling them. Often, they'd say they were "concerned about the monologues," and she would, in her so innocent and Minnnesota-nice way say, "I'm sorry, what monologues are you refering too?" She would continue to press them until they said "vagina" or hung up. This brought her joy to no end. :)
Here's a related article: http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/VaginaMonologuesonCatholicCampuses.htm
All I can say is that it really pisses me off when men start calling part of my body dirty and disgusting. It's even worse when women talk about their own bodies that way.
That's one of many reasons V-day and the Vagina Monologues are so important. And damn, who ever knew that battling violence against women would ever be so controversial?
Eve Ensler is one Rightious Vagina!
sara:
I grew up in a place in the country where both the word vagina and the thing itself carried pretty negative connotations. I thinmk the post common reactions of kids in high school were penis=funny, vagina=icky
Destra:
I realize this isn't quite the same thing, but I thinmk phallic symbols are quite present in print, especially in advertising culture. For instance, think of beer ads that feature only a hand gingerly/lovingly holding a beer bottle. They're trying to send a message. Boobs also play pretty prominent roles in advertising. "Va-jay-jays" though, seem to be more taboo...
Speaking of which, on the topic of language, I am still searching for a word for female genitals that I /do/ like. Personally, vagina is okay with me, but I'm not particularly fond of it -I think it sounds clinical. Vulva I prefer. "Pussy" I don't like, b/c of the way it's objectified in our culture. "Cunt" is okay, but can also carry negative connotations. Recently I heard a group of primarily female poets who work on erotic poetry -and they like to use the term "punani". I've found I like Punani as a term. It sounds pretty, it doesn't carry negative or objectifying connotations, at least in /this/ culture, since it's not very widespread. Thoughts?
Destra:
Here's a pretty interesting site, that examines how men and women and their bodies are used differently in advertising. Unfortunately, the "phallic" page is currently under construction, but I think the site as a whole is pretty interesting:
http://www.genderads.com/
@Ninapendamaishi: "punani" makes me think of Ali G, I'm afraid.
Oh man, I just had to look up who Ali G was. Bummer about the usage there.
I was never prouder of my little sister than I was when I saw her in Carnegie Mellon University's annual Vagina Monologues production her junior year there. She played the dominatrix to fabulous effect, and felt that the experience was transformative for the participants as well as the audience.
Also, mentions of the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute reminds me of part of Dorothy Parker's Paris Review interview (published in volume one of the PR Interviews):
@Ninapendamaishi: I know it's used as a sexist term a lot, but I still like the word pussy. I think it sounds soft and playful.
Also, I envy you. Sipendi maisha :)
Sorry, that's Boothe of course, sorry, bad editing.
i'm proud to say my campus is showing it the 18/19. I have seen TONS of posters for the Vag Monologues everywhere. And it's very exciting. This week was also gender awareness week. This is also the time i'm glad I didn't listen to my mom and go to a religiously affiliated college. :)
Way better:
({*})
The heart/vagina artwork is beautiful! It's gorgeous.
And the vagina costume is simply the best thing I've ever seen.
@TheSoyMilkConspiracy: I dunno (assuming the thing in the braces represents a clit), I thought ^ looked kind of like the labia minora coming up to the clitoral hood, whereas * looks more like several things meeting at a point, which isn't really suitable. On the other hand, I love the metaphor of the clit being a LOOK!! asterisk, and a star in the sense of a VIP, and a star in the sense of a beautiful thing, rather than an "I forgot this" caret. (Are we seriously having this conversation? :) )
I love the play and the ideals behind the play. And I love women (and men) promoting the play and all that it represents.
I don't think there's anything wrong with using or even printing the word vagina (in most places), but I don't think images of vaginas should be forced upon the public.
Use them in the bulletins, at private parties/fundraisers, or in your home/church if you want, but don't get mad if a newspaper doesn't want to publish a picture of a vag, or if a college doesn't want live vag's walking around campus.
In the same vein, I also wouldn't want to see images of penises, anuses, or breasts displayed publicly, even for the sake of the most worthy of causes.
DBR, CBL has a new calendar, featuring Michelle Malkin "modeling the latest professional styles."
http://www.cblpi.org/calendar/
Hujambo Yoshimi?
Yoshimi, you are the first one ever on this site to get my name.
stars *** and hearts
I also don't "get" the obsession with the Vagina Monologues - while I definitely see that there are liberatory aspects to it, I think that the huge focus on *one* particular play, as well as the general feminist obsession with fetishizing the vagina, is a little cult-ish (if you don't think it's wonderful, than you're not a real feminist), and I think it comes off to the general public as frivolous and adolescent (vagina emoticons and vulva tee-shirts). The V-Day feminist festivities have garnered some of the most attention from the press and from non-feminists, and it really bothers me to think that our big "movement" is **perceived by the public** to be about screaming the word vagina.
I am a feminist knitter (there are more of us than you think!) and found a hilarious knitted vagina costume on a knitters-only social networking site, Ravelry. That site is members only, but the knitter also wrote about the "yarngina" on her blog:
http://knitterrooney.blogspot.com/2007/08/yarngina-monologue.html
It's totally awesome.
And I know a couple people who go to Appalachian State. I will now have to call them to see if they had anything to do with that vagina costume - I hope they did!
umm... something weird happened, but that was supposed to read:
stars *** and hearts
aargh... stars and hearts
wow this is weird -I give up.
Anyway, also @ abby dicarlo:
Much (a majority?) of the mainstream public views feminists as man-hating lesbians who hate hetero sex. Is there much feminists could do to prevent negative and misinformed views of "the movement" from occuring? I doubt it...
Destra - I'm with you. I love the play, though I've only read it and haven't seen it performed. However, I don't think it is tasteful to have a representation of a vulva in a print ad. Nor is is tasteful to have a representation of a penis/testicles. I don't think that someone caressing a beer bottle is the same as a stylized drawing of a penis, either.
They should have just changed the vulvic center of the heart and run the ad, because the title of the play itself is NOT offensive or distasteful in any way.
MyBabyPanda:
How is are explicit words not offensive in your mind, while a pseudo-explicit is, while a suggestive image is not? I'm not meaning to patronize, I'm just curious if you have a more extensive rationale for your views, or if it is more of a gut feeling kind of thing.
I mean, I'm pretty into art, so the first thing that pops into my mind in a debate like this would be the fact that so much of the art our culture /still/ holds to be "classic" and the best is nude art, and back when the pieces were created no one found them offensive...
MyBabyPanda:
How are explicit words not offensive in your mind, while a pseudo-explicit image is, while a suggestive image is not? (actually, personally I don't think the heart looks more like a woman's real genitals than a beer bottle looks like a man's) I'm not meaning to patronize, I'm just curious if you have a more extensive rationale for your views, or if it is more of a gut feeling kind of thing.
I mean, I'm pretty into art, so the first thing that pops into my mind in a debate like this would be the fact that so much of the art our culture /still/ holds to be "classic" and the best is nude art, and back when the pieces were created no one found them offensive...
I'm Anu Okuyemi from UNA at St. Louis University. While the Vagina Monologues may not be a big deal to some, many of us are not so lucky to live in more inclusive liberal environments. In my effort to be a big pain in the ass until they allow our production to go forward I have composed a form letter: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfvcjhmm_922gszw2vgb
Please feel free to edit it as you wish or write your own. Send responses directly to SLU's president:
biondi@slu.edu
and CC the rest of the administration:
weixlmj@slu.edu, bergwm@slu.edu, kporter6@slu.edu, ssmit134@slu.edu, realef@slu.edu, fennebel@slu.edu
This would mean a lot to us. Thank you!
Nina - I don't think "vagina" is offensive because it is an anatomical term, like penis, abdomen, tongue, scalp, etc. If it were called the "Pussy Monologues" or something like that, yeah, I'd think it were inappropriate (I'm not offended personally by "Pussy", nor am i offended by the artwork, but I could understand that the word would be deemed improper by a newspaper).
And I understand your point about how nudity/sex in art is always subjective. But like, Birth of Venus isn't a close up of her crotch, you know? I think we as a society have determined that up-close representations of genitals are inappropriate, which I'm ok with, but of course we know it isn't equally enforced. Does that answer your question?
I think the artwork is the best thing about that ad. Seriously, it's pretty awesome from a graphic design point of view.
And personally, I don't think the Vagina Monologues is anything to write home about, but I do love the money that the productions raise for domestic and sexual violence orgainzations.
@MyBabyPanda:
I understand your point about how nudity/sex in art is always subjective. But like, Birth of Venus isn't a close up of her crotch, you know?
What, L'Origine du Monde isn't considered art?
Marnanel - No, I'm not saying it's not art, nor am I saying it's not valuable/beautiful/etc. I think the graphic design on the ad is art, and I think it's actually really pretty and clever. But I am not going to disagree with a newspaper editor who doesn't want to run it in his/her paper on the grounds that it is inappropriate. I also think it is unlikely that L'Origine du Monde would be accepted into a newspaper ad.
Asante, Ninapendamaishi.
In regards to the graphic, I think it's a shame our society is so uncomfortable with both male and female genitalia. I'm not saying I want hard-core porn displayed in public, but I do think that if we were less grossed out by "syleized images" of both vulvas and penises, we might have a better time educating the public about sexual health and reproductive justice.
Ooops! That should have been "stylized images"
1) I've never been so ashamed to be a SLU student... and a medical student at that! I don't know why they even let us look at dirty, undignified vaginas.
2) I just got a bounce-back e-mail from my fiance. His company e-mail blocked my message because it contained the word "VAGINA"!!!!
Today is a sad day.
I have never seen the show before and I've never once felt like anyone was implying I wasn't a "Real Feminist" because of this, nor have I seen that idea expressed about anyone else, so I'm really not sure where that sentiment is coming from.
I loved the reactions to some of our fliers for TVM... usually went something like this:
pretty colorful flier catches female student's eye. student pauses, then moves in for a closer look. thinks "is that a vag?" confirms with friend that illustration is indeed of a vagina. loudly proclaims "eww!"
yeah. like you don't have one!
the general feminist obsession with fetishizing the vagina
I find this funny. Maybe my experience is atypical, but I have never, ever experienced my fellow feminists fetishizing their vaginas :). Mostly, we like to remind people that there's such a thing as a clitoris in addition to a vagina.
I did a group reading of Monologues once which was a really fun experience--all women readers, with a few brave men sitting in! I didn't agree with the perspectives of all the monologues--but I think that's the point (how varied women's experience is). And I think it's wonderful that theater is being put to such a powerful "real world" philanthropic use.
2) I just got a bounce-back e-mail from my fiance. His company e-mail blocked my message because it contained the word "VAGINA"!!!!
I remember seeing a Catholic website where "vagina" was spelled "v*****".
Sara - While I think it's problematic that women grow up thinking their vaginas are gross or dirty, I can understand that people don't want to see it on a poster. I mean, I imagine people might feel similarly about an up-close image of an eyeball, or intestines or something. I'm pretty "whatever" about those things since my mom's a doctor, but people can be pretty squeamish about body parts in general.
Yorubelle,
i emailed the people you listed and added my own input too. I heard about SLU banning the vagina monologues last year and was really disappointed because i had seen it the year prior to that and thought it was a really great performance.
To make a shameless plug, Webster University (right down the highway from SLU!) is putting on the Vagina Monologues on Feb 24 at 7pm in the Winnifred-Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood Ave) Tickets are $5. Benefits go to the St. Louis YWCA Regional Sexual Assault Center.
I know I've tried to put flyers up at SLU before about VDay and our Drag Ball but there apparently aren't many places to advertise off campus events, at least that's what the student center told us. So spread the word!
Appalachian has an entire week of V-Day events... we also just had Gloria Steinem speak about the progression of feminism (SO amazing to hear her!0 Maybe Jessica or someone should come down and show their stuff? We have an awesome audience and lots of open ears (including the 6" vagina)
Appalachian has an entire week of V-Day events... we also just had Gloria Steinem speak about the progression of feminism (SO amazing to hear her!) Maybe Jessica or someone should come down and show their stuff? We have an awesome audience and lots of open ears (including the 6" vagina)
panda - i understand that reaction, but i don't think that was really the root of their responce. for one thing it was very artistically and abstractly redered. for another i observed similar reactions to o'keefe's more subtle red canna painting featured on another flier.
Got it, Sara. I didn't realize that like, the image was all stylized and cool. Don't know why I'd think one would advertising the VM with an anatomically correct rendering of a vagina...I guess that'd be pretty weird!
That's so upsetting that the play won't be on at SLU this year. We had it each year I was an undergrad - even after they cut the funding. The administration is in for a fight if they think they can just make it disappear forever.
I have nothing against the Vagina Monologues, and have heard what some others may not like about it. I do pay them mind.
I'd just like to say that is a visually striking ad. I see nothing wrong with a "stylized vagina" in print or on display. On the other hand, it looks as if the *heart* is being graphically torn apart. That makes me uncomfortable, not the vagina imagery.
"I saw the Vagina Monologues when I was in high school. I don't think I was mature enough to get it all, and I'd love to see it again."
There's also a book. I read it at Borders along with Ms. Valenti's book.
I am a grad student at ASU and I attended "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, & A Prayer" last night. The performance was wonderful! I plan to attend "Vagina Monologues" tonight. I just want to say that the problem of acceptance by administration and fellow students is not exclusive to co-ed or religion-based schools. I graduated from Salem College last May where I was involved in two productions of the "Vagina Monologues." Salem College is a women's college, founded in 1772. We were repeatedly reminded that our productions were "student-sponsored" and in no way endorsed by the school. We also had a problem with our posters "disappearing" from campus. We never knew if they were removed by students or the administration. Despite that, we sold out every performance and even had to turn people away.
When I was in college we used to do something called the Black Theater Workshop. Every year it was something different to showcase black theater and black history. There would be one acts, poems, monologues, dance and just about anything else you can stick on a stage.
I'd like to see the vagina day thing evolve into something like that. I think it would serve the same purpose as always, draw as much or more of a crowd (as great as it is, some patrons are bound to get tired of seeing it every year) and also serve to showcase emerging female artists and performers.
I know SLU. It's a fantastic school in the middle of a cultural epicenter in that part of STL. They have been deemed by the courts to not have affiliation with the church any more and the Jesuits are known to tell the conservatives to stuff it so keep up the pressure. They will cave eventually. Look at what happened with the basketball coach recently. There's plenty of potential in SLU to be a powerhouse of a liberal campus some day.
Maybe after they offer more music programs beyond church music and performance! ;-)