Monologues supports Iraqi women

Clad in outfits ranging from patent-leather strapless tops to black knee-highs with pink bows,… Clad in outfits ranging from patent-leather strapless tops to black knee-highs with pink bows, 25 students laughed, screamed and moaned about the one anatomical feature they have in common with about half of the world’s population: their vaginas.

Local charities will benefit from all of the proceeds gained during this weekend’s presentation of the annual Vagina Monologues, inspired by women “who don’t talk about their vaginas” and sponsored by the non-profit organization V-Day and Pitt’s Campus Women’s Organization.

As part of V-Day’s global efforts to end violence against women and girls, the students on stage spoke to a packed David Lawrence Hall auditorium Friday evening as part of the three-night event about the smells, the hair and the mystery of their vaginas.

Reading personal narratives and stories from other women, the students sat in a row of folding chairs, receiving catcalls and eliciting gasps, depending on the nature of the story or the facts given intermittently throughout the show. “Five thousand have been acid burned, [and] none prosecuted,” Molly Ferguson, Carmen Berkley and Katherine Piccolo said during a piece about the abuse of women throughout the world and, specifically in this case, Islamabad.

Since 2000, “The Vagina Monologues” have come to Pitt, as well as other campuses around the United States, always spotlighting a specific area. This year, Iraq earned the spotlight, meaning that 10 percent of the money raised will go to support abused Iraqi women. During the monologues, speakers addressed abuse issues pertinent to the spotlight.

Throughout the event, the students addressed genital mutilation practiced heavily in Africa, the acceptance of transsexuals into womanhood, the exoticness and allure surrounding the vagina and the trials of a sex worker.

When Alyssa Truszkowski read the story of a sex worker “who loved to make vaginas happy,” she went through a classification of moans she had encountered from her female customers, like the “unadmitted, militant bisexual moan” and the “unexpected orgasm moan,” causing the crowd to hoot and holler.

The changing tone of the stories kept the crowd in suspense — some invoked laughter while others kept them silent.

“My Vagina Was My Village,” told by Jennifer Stevenson, described the systematic raping of women in Bosnia and Kosovo during wartime.

“They took turns for seven days. I became a river of poison and pus,” she said.

For the students on stage, the event reflected an awareness of womanhood: the acceptance of femininity and the righteous empowerment of women to reclaim themselves by understanding and discussing the labels or misconceptions surrounding their vaginas.

The students on stage covered a wide range of issues, including “Hair,” told by Melissa Hull, which, was about a personal struggle to accept the pubic hair that partners would urge her to shave, and “The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could,” a story told by Edjah Jean-Louis about a woman’s relationship with her vagina after incidents of sexual abuse.

At times sitting in a huddled group in the middle of the stage, readers answered various questions about what their vaginas would say if they could speak and what their vaginas would wear.

Unity and acceptance of women of all colors, nationalities and sexual orientations played a major role in defining the themes focused on throughout the night. “They Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy … Or So They Tried,” for instance, brought into perspective the feelings of womanhood from transsexuals. Five female speakers expressed acceptance of transsexuals, saying that they were “one voice united.”

Many themes stressed issues about older women who were unable to speak about their private parts as well as younger women who have experienced abusive relationships so that all women could feel a sense of unity and strength within a global cause.