I consider myself to be a progressive on matters of gender politics. I am a strong proponent of reproductive rights for women and marriage equality for homosexuals. Above all, I feel confident in my unequivocal support for efforts to end sexual violence and assist survivors in their recovery. But I hated "The Vagina Monologues." Never before in my life have I left an event so thoroughly and completely enraged by the contents of the performance. As a heterosexual male, the play was a startlingly vicious attack on my being. The overt hatred for men and heterosexuality espoused within "The Vagina Monologues" is insulting to male supporters of the V-Day movement and, more alarmingly, represents a profound disservice to its mission of stopping all sexual violence in the world today.
The episodes of "The Vagina Monologues" are not fictional; they are the words and stories of more than two hundred real women who were interviewed by Eve Ensler, the author of the play. Given the basis in factual anecdote, it is perplexing to me how such a misguided expression of the issue emerged. Throughout the narratives, every explicit mention of a heterosexual man is consistently portrayed in a negative light. In "Hair," the husband was unfaithful and calloused to his wife, viewing her body as a tool for his sexual gratification and her pubic hair as an impediment to that process. In "The Flood," the ever-so-handsome Andy Leftkov caused his teenage date a lifetime of emotional trauma through his unexpected (perhaps, more subtly, unwanted) amorous advance and subsequent exasperated response to her embarrassing biological response. Finally, male figures in "My Vagina Was My Villiage" and "The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could" were rapists of the most abhorrent kind.
In light of this vilified portrayal of heterosexual men, the simultaneous glorification of lesbianism in "The Vagina Monologues" is especially disconcerting. This point is not a moral judgment against homosexuality. Rather, it is an objection to such a misguided use of idealized lesbianism in a production that is intended to empower a movement of both genders to end sexual violence. Such an objection is most vividly epitomized in the narrative, "The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could."
In this episode, Eve Ensler's positive portrayal of the statutory rape of a drunken 16-year-old girl and survivor of sexual abuse (who was thirteen in the original version of the play) by a 24-year-old woman is inexcusable and contemptible beyond the confines of reason. The fact that a narrative based in glorified pedophilia is included in a performance intended to end sexual violence boggles my mind. Regardless of what Eve Ensler might say about the matter, there was no acceptable reason to include such hypocrisy and depravity in "The Vagina Monologues."
Beyond the blatant rape of a minor, the undertones of the "Coochi Snorcher" episode are manifestly hostile towards men and heterosexuality. At one point, the "beautiful and successful" older woman takes great delight in the virginal nature of the teenage girl, stating, "Your vagina, untouched by man, smells so nice, so fresh, wish I could keep it that way forever," and directs her tutelage to ensure that the girl would never have to "rely on a man" for sexual pleasure. Ensler did not have to include such a glaringly hostile characterization of men in her play, perhaps realizing that it would be detrimental to the reactions of otherwise supportive male viewers. Thus, by its very inclusion, this narrative can only be seen as a deliberate attack on the heterosexual male and an injurious detraction of the V-Day mission.
One might claim that the character Bob in "Because He Liked to Look at It" represents a clear counter example to my argument. However, in many ways he could be seen as its best example. In his unrelenting fixation on the vagina, Bob is portrayed as a decidedly fantastical character, a fictive contrast to the male villainy in other episodes. In this distinction, he is representative of a nonexistent reality for the heterosexual man. Bob's behavior is certainly not commonplace amongst men, nor would most women view such prolonged adoration of their anatomy as healthy or desirable. Furthermore, given the concerted involvement of many men in the support of female sexual violence survivors and the large numbers that are in loving relationships with women, it strikes me as odd that Ensler was unable to find one positive and realistic story of male involvement in the lives of the women to include in "The Vagina Monologues." Such an omission coupled with so many negative depictions of male-female relationships appears all too calculated for my liking.
It is precarious to criticize well-intentioned efforts such as Bowdoin's production of "The Vagina Monologues." Given the staggering statistics about the incidence of sexual violence in the world, the importance of awareness for this issue cannot be overstated. But it is this importance that necessitates constructive criticism of the V-Day movement in order to ensure that we are dutifully furthering its mission through performances of the play. Too often critiques of "The Vagina Monologues" are superficial, centering on its graphic portrayal of sexuality. Such criticism only distracts from the more fundamental flaws of its message. While many women may rightfully feel empowered by the performance, heterosexual men are frequently left feeling threatened and accused by the harsh underlying rhetoric of the play.
It is an unfortunate fact that the heterosexual male is the predominant perpetrator of sexual violence against women. However, he is also the most important ally and agent of change for the V-Day movement. Alienating him with anti-male, anti-heterosexual messages only hinders our collective goal of ending sexual violence.
"The Vagina Monologues" performance at Bowdoin was exceptionally well done. The acting was impeccable, and it was successful in raising awareness for this pivotal social issue. But it remains unfortunately true that the play is underscored by an ideological backing that is unproductive at best and discernibly harmful at worst.
Steven E. Bartus is a member of the Class of 2008.