Jane Fonda used a vulgar slang term today on NBC’s Today show as she told the story about being asked to use the word for “The Vagina Monologes.”
Fonda said she was asked to do a monolgue using the term, but she said “no.” She said she had enough problems and didn’t need anymore. Good for her, but the word and why its used is just one of the reasons for the monologues.
The monologues relate to the vagina, be it through sex, love, rape, menstruation, mutilation, masturbation, birth, orgasm, the variety of names for the vagina, or simply as a physical aspect of the female body.
A recurring theme throughout is the vagina is a tool of female empowerment, and the ultimate embodiment of individuality.
If you don’t know “The Vagina Monologues” is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler that first ran off-Broadway in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production, playing all the various women who share their views about their vaginas with the audience; when she left the play it was recast with celebrity monologists. The play continues to run in venues around the country.
“The Vagina Monologues” is also the cornerstone of the “V-Day” movement whose participants stage benefit performances of the show worldwide each year between February 1 and March 8 to raise awareness. The “V” in V-Day stands for Valentine, Vagina, and Victory, linking love and respect for women to ending violence against women and girls.
Whether you agree with Fonda’s use of the word or not, I bet you’ve heard worse. I know it was morning television, but let’s face it there are worse things women hear and see on television than a slang word that describes a female body part.
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