Women are often intimidated to say the word "vagina" in today's society because they do not value it as an important part of who they are, Kisha Keeney said Tuesday at the Student Center Ballroom.
"The vagina needs to move and walk and talk," Keeney said. "(It) wants silence, kindness and freedom."
Keeney was one of more than 20 girls who participated in Ball State's second annual Vagina Monologues, which stemmed from an off-Broadway show that was derived from Even Ensler's award-winning play. The Vagina Monologues are based on more than 200 interviews Ensler conducted with women from all parts of the world.
Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program and Feminists for Action, the monologues strive to end violence against women and girls, said Colleen Seaton, organizer for the event.
Tuesday's presentation included more than 15 skits in which participants portrayed several of the women in Ensler's interviews.
In a presentation titled "The Vagina Workshop," junior Abby Siskind portrayed a woman who had never experienced an orgasm. When the woman finally attended a special workshop with several other women, she was told to use a mirror to locate the clitoris of her vagina.
"I finally realized that the clitoris wasn't something I could ever lose; it was me," Siskind said, portraying the woman. "I (realized) my vagina was a tulip and a destiny."
In a skit titled "I was 12. My Mother Slapped Me," several members of the cast also portrayed women who related how they felt when they experienced their first periods. While several described their sudden headaches and back pains, others expressed the terror of seeing menstrual blood for the first time.
A separate presentation, titled "I Was There in the Room," focused on the miracle of life as graduate student Leah Boehme portrayed Ensler, relating her how she once felt when she remained in a labor delivery room to watch her daughter-in-law give birth.
"I was there when her vagina was changed into an archaeological tunnel," Boehme said. "I realized that it's the vagina (is responsible) for leading so many of us into this world."
Throughout Tuesday's monologues, cast members also raised awareness about sexual violence by providing statistics on the type of violence women throughout the world face every year.
In the United States, more than 5,000 women are raped annually, they said. On an even larger scale, more than 130 million girls throughout the world, most in Africa, are victims of genital mutilation, in which they are often cut with knives or glass shards, they said.
Siskind said she hopes relaying such facts and performing each of the monologues Tuesday helped people to become both more aware of women's issues and more devoted to making a difference for women throughout the world.
She said she was proud to participate in the Vagina Monologues and encourages students to attend its remaining performances, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday in the Student Center Ballroom. Tickets cost $6 per student.
"The show is both entertaining and informing," Siskind said. "It gives women a new outlook on themselves and gets them thinking about things they often don't think about."
The Vagina Monologues, established nationally in 1998 to celebrate V-Day, has been presented to more than 900 college campuses throughout the United States. Proceeds from Ball State's monologues this year will go to A Better Way, Muncie's Domestic Violence Shelter.
Junior Peter Sierra said he was glad he attended the Vagina Monologues Tuesday and walked away with a renewed appreciation of women's issues.
Students of all genders should take the time to attend the monologue's future performances, he said.
"Some of the stories were kind of shocking," Sierra said. "It raises a lot of awareness about violence against women, and it encourages men to no longer see women as (mere) objects."222.-¦a+â-¦?N_vagina pg3_2/25/04DNEditorial222SORT-ó+â-ä2AUDT
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