By: Patrisha Wright
While reading The Vagina Monologues, the monologue that struck me the most: “I Was There in The Room” because it accentuated a birthing video called Lady Giving Birth. When I saw the vagina giving birth to a baby, I asked myself why in the world I started watching it. I threw my hands up in the air and asked aloud “why are there videos like this on Youtube?” I felt a little disgusted as I trudged on with the clip and horrified at the thought of scissors cutting at the vagina. I shiver at the thought and am amazed at the woman giving birth, because afterwards, her vagina will be in enormous pain. I hope someday I will never need to experience an abnormal birth, because in the clip, her baby is facing downwards when it should be up, hence, the need for cutting the vagina. At the end of the clip, she delivers a healthy baby. Eve Ensler points out that she saw her all spread out, “mutilated, swollen and torn, bleeding all over the doctor’s hands that was calmly sewing up her vagina” (Ensler 121-125). Ensler illustrates the abuse that a woman’s body is inundated with during child birth but also the beautiful blessings bestowed upon them. The vagina is a powerful thing because it is capable of giving life, and men are unwilling to understand, appreciate, and demonstrate respect towards women’s bodies. As a result, they take women for granted-turn them into objects, and playthings without any regard to the consequences women will face. Women sacrifice their vaginas to bring life into the world. The vagina needs love. There are women who are victims of rape and their vaginas should never need to tell a story of violence. This monologue is empowering to women’s vaginas and also voices a demand that women be respected.
