On March 23 through March 30, The Vagina Monologues premiered at Spelman College. The original monologues first took place in the year of 1996 by a woman by the name of Eve Ensler. It aimed to showcase all aspects of feminine experience such as sex, menstruation, health, rape, birth, orgasms, and love. For the purpose of increasing the knowledge of the feminine experience throughout the Atlanta University Center, Miss Spelman Ariana Brazier and her court Taylor Munson, and Imani White, put on a production similar, their own interpretation of the Monologues.
There were so many stand out pieces during this performance. "Waterfalls" was a piece performed by Miss Spelman and her court, Ari Brazier, Taylor Munson, and Imani White. The cast played off of the episode of "If I Should Die Before I Wake" that premiered in season four of A Different World, which was an episode on AIDS awareness. The episode was about a young women by the name of Josie who expressed to her peers that she was battling AIDS. This episode debunked the many stereotypes about AIDS such as it being airborne. Using the monologue performed by Tisha Campbell, a guest star on the show, the cast acted out the scene. This only made the act stronger. Ending with a PSA, Brazier, Munson, and White told the audience that Black women were more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS than any other race. This being said at Spelman College was eye opening. How many of my Spelman sisters are going through this?
"BAPS", performed by J'Daja Austin, and Ishara Emerson, was pure comedy. Playing off of the movie BAPS, originally starring Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle, the two women boldly and hilariously expressed the troubles of their sex lives. Although it was laced in comedy, its lines rang true. Women's sexual needs and desires are often put secondary to men.
Lastly, I found the performance "Clueless", to be one of the most important other than "Waterfalls". "Clueless" starred Ryien Cypress, Angelica Brooks, Khaliah Hambrick, Payton Ogletree, Bianca Parish, and Dara Prentiss. It opened up as three of the women talked about their menstruation cycle and how they handled it. As they soon finished up their lines, three of the other women appeared playing the role of feminine hygiene products. Cast as a panty liner, a pad, and a tampon, the purpose of this performance was to express how to properly use all three products. It's surprising how many women aren't taught about which products are and aren't for them. The comedic approach was amazing, but the information was valuable.
I loved The Vagina Monologues. Although it's overall theme was the sexuality of women, it expanded as a platform used to educate about vaginal uses. Both sexual and healthwise. To see so many aspects of femininity being played out on stage is something that's very rare. Our sexual desires, our monthly cycles, and most importantly sexually transmitted diseases that effect us are rarely talked about. Before coming to Spelman, I was told about this performance, so I was already excited about it. It definitely lived up to the hype.
