The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler is a celebration of female sexuality and contains around 200 anecdotes that were compiled by the author on sensitive topics such as sexual experiences, genital mutilation, pubic hair, menstruation, vaginal care, rape, sex and body image. When the book came out, people wanted to censor the term vagina and instead V monologues was used.The writer points out that vagina is a medical term and not a pornographic one yet most of the women use euphemistic terms when they want to speak about their vaginas. Ensler encourages women to say the word aloud as it will bring about freedom in speaking about their personal experiences that are too shameful for them to talk about including their desires and how they were violated or mutilated.
You suddenly realise all the shame and embarassment you've previously felt saying the word has been a form of silencing your desire, eroding your ambition...And as more women say the word, saying it becomes less of a big deal; it becomes part of our language, part of our lives, Our vaginas become integrated and respected and scared, They become part of our bodies, connected to our minds, fueling our spirits. And the shame leaves and the violation stops, because vaginas are visible and real, and they are connected to powerful, wise, vagina-talking women (Preface).
Ensler wrote as a celebration of female sexuality but the V-movement that became a worldwide phenomenon changed its aim to that of preventing violence against women. The book became an eye-opener for women who did not dare to speak openly about their sexuality. It celebrated a woman for her desires, her conditions, and her needs, and "did not classify her by class, religion, identity, or race" thereby threatening the silence demanded of women across various cultures.
1 comment:
Post a Comment