“My vagina is angry.”

That is the daring first sentence of my monologue “My Angry Vagina.” When I first auditioned for “The Vagina Monologues,” I didn’t exactly know what it was about, but it seemed compelling enough and I was eager for more acting experience.

While I was skimming through some of the monologues during callbacks, my initial thought was, “Whoa, what did I get myself into?”

The dialogues in some of the monologues are shocking. They’re intense, detailed and sometimes provocative. I didn’t think that I could pull it off, but nevertheless, I was excited that I was cast.

“The Vagina Monologues” is a play addressing matters such as sex, female genital mutilation, birth, orgasms, menstruation, various names for the vagina, rape and masturbation. Each monologue deals with an aspect of the feminine experience.

So why is my character’s vagina angry? The monologue is a rant about injustices against the vagina such as tampons, douches and tools used by OBGYNs. She calls the people who construct these type of products “vagina motherfuckers.”

What’s the title of your Vagina Monologue?

At first, it was a daunting undertaking to be this character that curses so freely and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. But as I memorized my lines, I made a connection to this monologue because of the important content presented within. Plus, she also has a sense of humor.

“Don’t believe them when they tell you it smells like rose petals when it’s supposed to smell like pussy. That’s what they’re doing, trying to clean it up, make it smell like bathroom spray or a garden. All those douche sprays, floral, berry, rain. I don’t want my pussy to smell like rain,” is one of my favorite parts from “My Angry Vagina.”

Senior theatre major Nadia Danowska said, “It’s a very powerful monologue because it really makes you think why these things were created in the first place without considering the most important thing: women who are using these products.”

Making her directorial debut, sophomore theatre major Maggie Mifsud put on the show with the sponsorship of the FAU Peer Education Team. The play took place during Women’s History Month from March 24-25 in Studio 2 of the Arts and Letters building.

“‘The Vagina Monologues’ is something that’s been around for over 20 years and it’s given women that have come before our generation a voice that they probably didn’t have when they were young women,” Mifsud said.

The play was originally a one-woman show written and performed by Eve Ensler. It opened on Oct. 3, 1996 at the HERE Arts Center in New York City.

“It’s something that raises awareness and encourages people to speak out and use their voice regardless of their gender identity, regardless of really anything,” Mifsud added.

Danowska said that after the show, she “felt motivated.”

“I discovered that there was so much depth towards all the stories and each individual woman in this piece. It made me think about vaginas in a totally different way,” she said.

“Hair,” “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could,” “Reclaiming Cunt” and “My Vagina Was My Village” are just a few of the monologues included in the play.

Mifsud said, “It made me realize just how powerful women are, and just how much we need each other and we’re all sisters. Something like this should be seen by the public, by everyone.”

My Vagina was my Village

Kamilah Douglas is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].