People have given a lot of negative reviews regarding The Vagina Monologues, particularly in the Feminist blogosphere, so I was expecting to dislike it more than I did. My favorite feminist friend [moniker pending?] went to see it with me on Friday, and we both concluded that the best way to review it would be to do a play-by-play of each monologue, individually. This is a really long post, so I don't blame you if you don't read the whole thing. Our overall conclusions are as follows:
- There is some man-hate present here. DO NOT APPROVE.
- Celebration of Vaginas. APPROVE.
- Outraged dismissal of the capitalist attempt to push unnecessary products on us to convince us that we "smell bad" and are "unclean". In the words of the monologue, "I don't want my vagina to smell like rain!" APPROVE.
- Coercion present here. DO NOT APPROVE.
- Double-standard present here. DO NOT APPROVE.
- Promotion of Embracing Your Sexuality. APPROVE.
DISCLAIMER: You'll understand this review better after you go see it. Can't hurt, right? At my school, the proceeds went to benefit a Sexual Health and Trauma/Violence Center.
Keep reading if you're interested in my thoughts on each individual monologue.
