|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 17 |
 |
Use of "vagina" undermining
To the Editors:
Last Thursday night, I had the pleasure of seeing The Vagina Monologues and was impressed by all of the work put into the show. Bowdoin's V-Day celebrations are a great way of getting people talking about women's issues, and the Monologues' treatment of women's sexuality is refreshing and commendable.
However, one sentence in the program disturbed me: "We commend the entire Bowdoin community for welcoming vaginas over 30 years ago and celebrating them today." I feel as though the V-Day Committee's use of "vagina" as a general term for women undermines its mission.
Describing women as simply "vaginas" objectifies women in a way I cannot imagine the V-Day Committee would ever intend. Perhaps this was an attempt to "take back" the term, as is done in one of the monologues, "Reclaiming Cunt." It may seem "empowered" to use these words as descriptors, but I feel it sets a bad example.
What if the Af-Am began to encourage the Bowdoin community to start using the word "nigger" more? It would be considered offensive! Women are more than their genitalia. Calling women "vagina warriors" is one thing; calling them "vaginas" is quite another. The Vagina Monologues are all about treating women well-reducing them to their genitalia is utterly counterproductive. I am all in favor of celebrating the vagina, but I am more than a body part.
Sincerely,
Charlotte Carnevale '06
For information on sending a letter to the editor, please click here.
|
FastCounter by bCentral |