It’s that time of year when Valentine’s Day becomes “V-Day” on college campuses. Jenna Ashley Robinson of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy provides some good commentary on the event:
Unfortunately, V-Day’s outrageous tactics make a mockery of the serious issues facing women around the world. Armed with the knowledge that “sex sells,” V-Day raises money-but not respect-for women’s issues.
…
Consider The Vagina Monologues, V-Day’s signature event. This is not about combating violence; in fact, it’s exactly what the title implies: women waxing philosophical about their private parts before a paying audience. Random House, the play’s publisher, describes it as a compendium of women’s stories of “intimacy, vulnerability and sexual self-discovery.” It features women-representing vaginas-who speak out from the stage about their experiences and preferences. The stories explore sexual fantasies, fears and experimentation. Of all the sexual encounters described in Ensler’s book and on the stage, only two involve intimacy with men. One grateful actress concludes, “I’ll never need to rely on a man.”
But instead of embracing the play as “emancipating,” feminists should be horrified over this sexual objectification of women. The play strips away any modesty, mystery, or dignity from sexual acts, just as it severs the connection between emotional and physical love. The Vagina Monologues represents sexual objectification-of women, by women.
(Emphasis mine) Read more here.