It's not every weekend that you find a group of diverse women talking about their vaginas. But thanks to ASU's V-Day and Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues," women on campus are getting more comfortable with their most intimate part.
V-Day -- the "v" in this case stands for vagina -- is a global movement that raises funds to end violence against women. With the seventh annual on-campus production of "The Vagina Monologues," ASU V-Day addresses the problems of violence against women locally and globally. Money from ticket sales is donated to local shelter Community Alliance Against Family Abuse.
The play is a series of Ensler's monologues, based on interviews she conducted with over 200 women about their memories of and experiences with sexuality.
"The Vagina Monologues" is entirely produced and performed by ASU students. This year, the campaign faced two challenges: a new production team and a smaller cast.
"We were really focusing on the words of the play," co-director Lisa Rockafellow says. "These are all women's voices coming through in the play, and we wanted to just focus on the fact that it's important for these women to be heard."
At first, Rockafellow says that she was reluctant to call herself a feminist, because the term draws stereotypes, like "man hater," that are not always positive. For Rockafellow, being a feminist means "everyone should be equal and respectful of each other."
This Chi Omega sorority member first got involved with "The Vagina Monologues" by auditioning for one of the roles in her sophomore year. She says that she didn't know at the time that this would become more than a play to her.
"I auditioned for the theatrical part of it and I stayed because it's such a great cause," says Rockafellow. "Raising awareness and letting people know that this is something in our world that has affected so many people is really what has made me stay."
According to data from the National College Health Assessment, in five years at ASU, one in four women will experience rape, or attempted rape. On a national level, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network says someone is sexually assulted every two and a half minutes in America. RAINN is the largest anti-sexual assult organization in the nation.
Coordinators of ASU V-Day seek to make the public aware of these statistics.
Rockafellow says that she considers herself lucky because she was never abused.
"I never experienced that kind of violence in my life, but realizing that I am one of the few fortunate ones has really opened my eyes that this is a real problem," she says.
Rockafellow says that she thinks that there's an interesting parallel between the words "feminist" and "vagina." She says that people are reluctant to use the word "vagina" because it's more of a taboo, while people have misconceptions about the word "feminist."
"People are somehow afraid of these words," says Rockafellow. "This production can open people's eyes and allow them to see that it's not something we should be afraid of, it's something we should embrace."
Ashley Stubbs, a cast member, says that "The Vagina Monologues" has helped with breaking down the taboos and misconceptions about the use of the word "vagina." According to Rockafellow, in the last couple of years the play has not only attracted women, but men as well.
"I love the fact that this play puts a new face to it [the use of the word "vagina"] and makes it more acceptable," says Stubbs.
If you decide to go and see the production, Rockafellow says that you should expect an emotional roller coaster.
"The variety of emotions that we invoke in people is something that draws people to see the play," says Rockafellow. "One piece might make you cry, but at the next piece you'll be falling out of your chair laughing."
Reach the reporter at ljiljana.ciric@asu.edu.
