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Opinion | Vagina Monologues doesn't empower women

Christine Barilleaux, barillc@muohio.edu

On behalf of the True Feminists of Miami University, I am responding to the critique of the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (CBLPI) posters hung in response to the Eve Ensler play The Vagina Monologues. We'd like to explain why we chose to hang them up. We don't deny that the monologues have been meaningful to many who have seen and participated in them. However, there are many others who have seen them and been humiliated and angered by them. The posters actually said that the CBLPI "offers truly inspirational alternatives" to the monologues and gave the website, www.cblpi.org. They are not a denial that rape, sexual assault or female sexuality are truly important issues for women and everyone in our society. Rather, they state that there are more effective ways of discussing these issues and empowering women. I have personally spoken with many people who have expressed that the plays do not empower them, but instead make them feel as though their female identity has been reduced to a single body part. After seeing the plays myself, I have to agree. Why can we not offer an alternative way to showcase the power that women have and the great things they have done throughout history? Why can we not demand that people show respect for our intellect and stop focusing on our bodies alone? As for alternate sources of discourse, we plan to have a forum next year to discuss these issues.

Activism requires taking risks and speaking up about often very controversial topics in very controversial ways at times. We applaud the Association of Women Students for taking their activism seriously and for raising awareness about issues of rape, sexual assault, et cetera. However, being an activist and "putting yourself out there" comes with a responsibility as well. It requires being prepared to hear criticism. The posters are not an attack on the Association of Women Students or on anyone participating in or seeing the plays. Activism challenges ideas. Furthermore, The Vagina Monologues are not unique to the Association of Women Students, nor are they unique to Miami University. They have been performed all over the country every February for the last 15 years. Rarely have I ever encountered anyone publicly speaking up against them. These posters give voice to those who identify with the root causes and issues of the monologues, but who are, for fear of social ostracism, afraid to voice their concerns for the manner in which the plays deal with the issues.

Finally, True Feminism is also a nationwide movement with which we chose to align ourselves. This movement embodies the idea that women are equal to yet different from men and should be given the same rights as men without having to behave like men. It is also a feminism that values the dignity and rights of every human person, including the unborn child. It is both pro-woman and pro-child.