The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues

Right World View


Generally speaking, Conservative organizations tend to despise The Vagina Monologues. Some groups send out literature against it and others make parodies of the play. Additionally, there are those who just ignore it altogether. To see what all the fuss was about, I decided to go see the play myself.

Before delving any further, I will draw a clear line between the acting and the play. The acting was marvelous. Despite being a fairly long show, there were only two apparent mishaps. A dividing wall fell down on one of the performers, and one of the ‘mood lights’ failed to turn on when it was supposed to. Even these looked like they could have been intentional. The packed room laughed when the play was funny and became somber on cue. To make sure this is clear, The Vagina Monologues was performed very well and I congratulate all involved on a job well done.

As to the content of the play itself, it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting, given what I had heard from others. The play showed many examples of ‘bad’ men. It was not trying to show that all men are bad, but some are, and it is important to make the distinction between messages of a few "bad seeds" as opposed to "a bad gender"

The play was about women's empowerment. Conservatives in general see nothing wrong with this. As long as it is not in the context of ‘radical feminism’, there is nothing wrong with women's empowerment. This empowerment should not be "over" men any more than men should be ‘over’ women, and should be towards true equality.

The play had some commentary on traditional Arab/Muslim female clothing. It made a point to not insult the culture; it did seem to condemn any woman being forced to wear clothes against her will. Again, Conservatives would generally agree with this.

Perhaps the scene with which Conservatives would disagree the most was a monologue about a 16 year old woman's sexual encounter with an older, ‘more experienced’ female. In the monologue, the older woman advises her that all men are bad, and that she should never rely on them. As mentioned before, there are bad men, but not all men are bad. In a healthy relationship you must be able to rely on your spouse and your spouse must be able to rely on you.

The money raised in the show will all go to charity. I would say that if you are curious about the play, go see it for yourself. Just don't bring children.


Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive