Female students took the stage at Wharton Center for the debut of “The Vagina Monologues” last Friday with the intention to break boundaries about an uncomfortable topic and create awareness of sexual violence through personal stories.
“I hope that people take away the fact that vaginas are amazing and not something to be ashamed of — being a woman is not something to be ashamed of,” sexual assault director and adviser of “The Vagina Monologues” Janelle Moulding said. “There is power in that, and just like every other person, we deserve to live lives free of violence.”
The 17th annual showing at MSU filled the Pasant Theatre, where attendees chuckled at the dramatized and realistic speeches explaining women’s stories. Women were interviewed by the global activist movement group, V-Day, for the production.
These speeches were a way for students to represent a variety of women who have been a victim of sexual or domestic violence. Performances exemplified those of all sexual orientations, those from developing nations who experience genital mutilation and those oppressed by poverty and abuse.
The monologue called “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy,” performed by kinesiology junior Alexis Bailey, theatre sophomore Rebecca MacCreery and human biology alumna Erin Watts, focused on the hardships and bullying that came along with growing up transgender and how they felt misplaced in their lives and bodies.
“I think that it’s difficult to cover every single individual person, but I think this show does a good job on touching on a lot of people’s issues,” media and information senior and “The Vagina Monologues” co-director Laura Swanson said. “I think that’s really important because the more broad you can cover, the bigger audience you can have and the more possibility you have in touching them.”
They interchanged between comedic monologues personifying vaginas, where the actors were asked what they would wear, say and do, and a serious tone with the “My Short Skirt” monologue, where journalism sophomore Kaliyah Jetton spoke about misconceptions of rape and women’s wardrobe choices.
“I think it’s just recognizing that it is a really well-rounded experience,” alumna and performer in the monologues Janelle Moulding said. “That, just like being a human, ... being a woman is not all happy, not all wonderful and it also shows some pretty harsh truths, like rape, incest and violence. That’s all a reality for women.”
About one-third of the show changes each year to address more marginalized groups, Swanson said, while the rest stays consistent because those specific skits resonate with a large audience.
All the of proceeds from “The Vagina Monologues” performances went to The Firecracker Foundation — a 2-year-old nonprofit dedicated to providing therapy to children who have survived sexual assault and healing them once they have been traumatized.
The show ended with the directors and producers asking audience members to stand. First, they stood if they have been affected by sexual violence, then if someone they knew has been affected and finally, to stand if they wanted to end sexual violence for all woman. By the end of the third question, the entire audience was on its feet.
“The big thing for me is making sure that we educate people, that people are aware that these things are happening to women all over the world ... that it is not just a singular (woman) issue,” communications and political science senior and co-producer Herasanna Richards said. “So many people in this audience, as you could see when they stood up, could relate to that. It’s a very powerful thing. ... I hope we inspire people to start a movement.”
