Spring Break
V-Day brings awareness to women's issues through humor
By: Rebecca Anderson
Issue date: 2/5/07 Section: News
Eva Ensler came up with the idea for The Vagina Monologues after interviewing more than 200 women. She asked the women to talk about their bodies, and the interviews turned into monologues about their sexual experiences, some good and some bad. The research indicated that there were occurrences involving domestic violence, said Dominique Herrera, chair of TAMU V-Day.
The Vagina Monologues opened Thursday night to a crowd of about 170 at the Memorial Student Center. The monologues consist of a series of acts performed by individual women who act out the stories of other women, Hererra said.
Hererra said 90 percent of the profits from the performances goes to the Brazos Valley Rape Crisis Center, which provides support to survivors of violent crimes. The remaining 10 percent goes to women in conflict zones who are "raped and brutalized as a form of warfare."
V-Day is an international organization that produces performances of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities, according to the official V-Day website.
Carol Binzer, director of the department of Student Life, served as an adviser for TAMU V-Day from 2002-2004.
"The basic premise is to give the issues airtime until (violence toward women) stops," Binzer said.
Binzer said talking about the subject matter in The Vagina Monologues will bring issues of violence toward women to light.
"The more we use the issues in conversation, the more comfortable we are with talking about it and not blaming the victim," she said.
V-Day fliers are given to everyone, but there are an overwhelming number of women in the audience for The Vagina Monologues.
"We're not biased, but people may have a misconception of us," Herrera said. "We're not angry feminists. Men may not be as interested because the subject matter is somewhat off-putting."
Freshman political science major Dustin Grabsch said he had a greater appreciation for women's issues after seeing The Vagina Monologues.
"I may not be able to relate to some things directly, but those stories still affect you because they're so powerful," Grabsch said.
The Vagina Monologues opened Thursday night to a crowd of about 170 at the Memorial Student Center. The monologues consist of a series of acts performed by individual women who act out the stories of other women, Hererra said.
Hererra said 90 percent of the profits from the performances goes to the Brazos Valley Rape Crisis Center, which provides support to survivors of violent crimes. The remaining 10 percent goes to women in conflict zones who are "raped and brutalized as a form of warfare."
V-Day is an international organization that produces performances of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities, according to the official V-Day website.
Carol Binzer, director of the department of Student Life, served as an adviser for TAMU V-Day from 2002-2004.
"The basic premise is to give the issues airtime until (violence toward women) stops," Binzer said.
Binzer said talking about the subject matter in The Vagina Monologues will bring issues of violence toward women to light.
"The more we use the issues in conversation, the more comfortable we are with talking about it and not blaming the victim," she said.
V-Day fliers are given to everyone, but there are an overwhelming number of women in the audience for The Vagina Monologues.
"We're not biased, but people may have a misconception of us," Herrera said. "We're not angry feminists. Men may not be as interested because the subject matter is somewhat off-putting."
Freshman political science major Dustin Grabsch said he had a greater appreciation for women's issues after seeing The Vagina Monologues.
"I may not be able to relate to some things directly, but those stories still affect you because they're so powerful," Grabsch said.
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