Eve Ensler Speaks at Grady Gammage

By: Brie Iatarola

“At least one in three women and girls has been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime,” Ensler said.  “If we are continuously exposed to this horror, we will become more afraid of our own voices, less bold and eventually we will lose our way.”  That fear was just one reason why the idea of V-Day transformed into a reality during the 1997 tour of “The Vagina Monologues,” the 48-year-old activist told more than 800 boisterous listeners at Grady Gammage auditorium.  

Another factor was because of Ensler’s personal experiences with incest and abuse during her youth.  “What happened to me is a terrible story,” she said.  “My father dishonored me.  He robbed me of my self-esteem and he robbed me of my sense of security in this world.”  But Ensler quickly assured the audience that she was not searching for sympathy.  “I’m fighting so that women will never have to go through the same thing I went through,” she said. “I want to bring issues like rape, battery, female genital mutilation and incest to the world’s attention in order to stop the violence against women.”

“V-Day is a new paradigm for women and vagina-friendly men,” she continued.  “The V stands for victory, Valentine’s day and vagina.  Women know it’s time they take back their bodies and remember what it’s like to feel safe on this earth.  Violence is over.  There is no situation in this world anymore where violence is appropriate.”  According to Ensler, although V-Day has only existed for five years, supporters have raised more than $14 million, $7 million generating during 2002, making it one of Worth magazine’s “100 Best Charities” in the United States.   

Because of “The Vagina Monologues” worldwide popularity, once Ensler began promoting V-Day in conjunction with the play, she said her movement spread like “vagina fire” across the globe.  To date, over 800 cities support V-Day around the world and 515 colleges, including ASU, have already signed up to recognize the movement this year.  “This just shows that there is a need for V-Day – a necessary reason,” Ensler said.  “And I’m happy that college students are part of our V-World.” 

Ensler also spoke fondly of a Kenyan woman named Agnes who, as a victim of female genital mutilation (the removal of part or all the female genitalia), chose to walk through a valley in Kenya for seven years as a way to heal and protest.  “[Agnes] was the fiercest woman of them all.  She was a goddess,” Ensler said.  “She was mutilated as a little girl and lost the ability to have pleasure.  So she walked for seven years and slept on the ground.  But she eventually saved 1500 girls from being cut.  On Apr. 15, we had the first V-Day safe house in Africa.”  Once Ensler heard about the safe house, she said that is when she understood the true definition of a warrior.  “If you find a way to live without being bitter and violent,” she said, “you are a warrior.  And if you give what you need the most, you can heal that part of yourself.” 

The audience interrupted with more applause before Ensler had a chance to reveal her views about the dearth of women’s rights in Afghanistan.  Once the cheers settled, the activist said that Afghanistan was a country in which misogyny, or the hatred toward women, had fully realized itself.  “Women have lost every right there,” she said.  “They can’t even eat ice cream because it’s consider licentious.”

Ensler then used her final moments to encourage unity among fellow women and “vagina-friendly” men.  “Women are the primary resource of this planet,” she said.  “We keep life going.  But we are trained to be competitive and jealous and we need to learn how to truly support each other. We need to keep pushing the vagina boundaries.”  The audience responded with a standing ovation and several moments later the vagina guru took several minutes to answer questions. 

One person asked if Ensler thought entertainers like Britney Spears desensitized women during their quest for self-respect.  “Britney is only as profound as we make Britney,” Ensler responded.  “When it comes to performers, we want to demonize the females.  We are holding part of ourselves that we don’t want to own.” 

Someone else asked what Ensler thought about women who discredit feminism yet reap in the benefits from the foremothers’ work.  “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the women before me,” Ensler said.  “They laid the path for us and we will radicalize the planet.  But the only way to do that is to honor your foremothers.”  After concluding that Ensler believed she would most likely be remembered for vaginas, the audience laughed and gave another standing ovation. 

As people spilled out of the auditorium, women of all ages congregated in the lobby to discuss and analyze what they learned.  Mountain View High School junior, Lucia Bill, said she went to the lecture because she needed to connect with someone who knew about dysfunctional families, and she thought Ensler was the person.  “There’s been a lot of oppression on my side of the family,” Bill said. “I was interested in the issues, but I also wanted to see how effective Eve was as a spokeswoman.  I was definitely impressed.  She seemed really normal and funny.”

Political science freshman Jacqueline Woodwart was pleased that the lecture did not turn into a male-bashing session.  “Never once did she castigate men,” Woodwart said.  “She acknowledged that change has got to be a joint effort, and that really made me happy.”

Meredith Pieratt, a theater senior and ASU’s director of “The Vagina Monologues,” stressed that anyone who was serious about women’s issues should know about Ensler and her movement.  “She has a vision and a purpose,” Pieratt said.  “And we can definitely see that V-Day is growing not just as a movement but as a different way of life.”

Finance junior Hansell Watt added that he has supported “The Vagina Monologues” for nearly two years and Ensler’s speech only widened his vision for an egalitarian society.  “She is a wonderful spokeswoman,” he said.  “Her words make you want to run out and join an organization.”