Vagina Voices Unleashed!
Wild is an audience of hundreds emphatically chanting the word “cunt” within the walls of a church.
That will be a long-lasting and vivid memory for me (and countless other folks, no doubt) of this past V-Day’s benefit production of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues at the 4th Universalist Society. Although I had already seen three previous productions and delved into the realm of “women’s issues” (for personal as well as academic purposes), I never felt like more than a casual observer of this ongoing women’s movement. This year, as a Be Wild member and V-Day volunteer, I was able to put my energy directly into that movement.
I was surprised to discover just how many of my friends had never seen the show-or read the book, for that matter-and subsequently delighted that I had provided this opportunity for them to finally experience the vagina-victorious phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. It was also a surprise and a delight to see the many men in attendance, as such strong and positive messages/mantras spilling from women’s lips have long instilled a certain fear in the “opposite” sex.
women’s voices ~ women’s sexuality ~ women’s wildness
Why are these things so terrifying?
Simply, because they are very VERY powerful. And not only men are afraid of that power. Many (if not most) women are afraid of it, too! It is all too easy to blame our repressions on “The Patriarchy” and to settle into the role of perpetual victim. But where is the hope, the potential, the strength to be found in that? It is not enough to merely survive and we surely don’t have to accept what we’re given if it does not serve our needs-we must reclaim our power and use it to live fully and meaningfully. That is the spirit of both Be Wild Woman and V-Day’s mission.
In addition to the Healing the Womb workshop held on February 8, we wild women helped continue the fundraising effort by making V-Day bracelets to be sold before and after the show. I loved putting my creative energy into something both beautiful and empowering-the red beads symbolize passion and blood, while the three silver “V” beads indicate what the V in V-Day stands for:
Victory, Valentine, Vagina
I also like to add other words into the mix, like vivacious, voice, visionary, Venus, and even my own middle name, Vanessa! It’s interesting to think about the letter V itself, too-open and inviting at one end, yet sharp and protective at the other; two arms raised upward as if in triumph or, alternatively, two fingers raised in a peace-sign as a call to end the violence perpetrated against women worldwide.
What other words and images do you think could help foster a sense of safety and vitality in women’s bodies and lives?