At 7:30 p.m. of Feb. 16 and 17, FSU students and residents in the neighborhood got an opportunity to enjoy the “The Vagina Monologues,” performed by FSU students at PAC Pealer Recital Hall, courtesy of the FSU's 2012 V-Day campaign.
After nearly half a year preparing, 23 casts of various majors put forward a wonderful play to all the people interested in women’s issue. Originally created by a playwright, performer Eve Ensler, "The Vagina Monologues" is made up of a varying number of monologues relates to the vagina.
Although this has been the 11th year since the monologues first introduced to the university, estimated around 600 audience attended the two-day performance, and many of them are long-lasting supporters.
“I just want to support,” said Sherry Nicol, who is working in the Emergency Department of the Cumberland hospital and drove 15 minutes here regardless of the rain. As a mother of daughters, this is the third year for Sherry to attend the V-Day since she heard the organization from her female colleague. Last year she bought and drew a pink T- shirt. “I came for educational purpose,” she said, “people need to be aware that resources are out there that they have the right.”
V-DAY is an organization, formed in 1998 by Eve Ensler, which is working to bring awareness to and end violence against women and girls. “Usually, women who have suffered these kinds of violence are asked to stand up,” said Dr. Amy Branam, a coordinator of V-DAY, “because most of them would have had such experience before.”
This year, V-Day's Spotlight Campaign is the Women and Girls of Haiti. Since the devastating earthquake that took place in January 2010, the rates of sexual violence have increased. All funds raised through the Spotlight Campaign are used to support a revolutionary national campaign in Haiti led by a coalition of women activists.
In addition to various inspiring organizations that tend to help women and the wonderful play, one thing happened during the play indicates that situation is still severe. In row D sitting four college male students: two blacks, one fat white guy and a good-looking boy. Throughout the whole show, they would giggle in a low voice from time to time whenever the word vagina appeared. Later, during the monologue “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vagina Happy”, they could no longer help themselves but burst into laugh which is so loud that annoyed all the audiences in the theater.
Before the performance, audiences were able to attend the Information Festival, which features the Scarf and Clothesline Project.
The Clothesline Project was designed to “air out society’s dirty laundry.” Both women and men are invited to create their own T-shirts to be put on display as a visual representation of real stories of violence against women. People can visit www.clotheslineproject.org to see what various colors symbolize in order to make a T-shirt. The shirts are color coded to show the form of abuse and whether the victim survived the abuse they experienced.
Alongside the Clothesline Project is the scarf sale, otherwise known as the Scarf Project. “Nearly all the scarves are donated by volunteers from the neighbor city, like Cumberland and La Vale” said Rogers Edwina, the project leader. “like this one is from an alumnus, Kelly Vaden, in Louisiana,” said Dr. Branam pointing at a bag of a scarf, “she is the 2004 director of “The Vagina Monologues and she still remembered after so many years”.
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