By Christine Visita
I had already come to the conclusion that I was in for an emotional rollercoaster as I entered the Aratani Theatre in Los Angeles to watch, for the first time, The Vagina Monologues. Even though I knew what I was in for, what I actually experienced took me by surprise.
The initial tug at my emotions came as the actresses entered one by one, taking their places on the stage until all eleven women faced the audience with composed looks of strength illuminating their faces. The image alone of each individual coming together to form a united group stirred my feelings of excitement for what was to come. As words burst forth from their mouths with every monologue, I was moved to laughter, to hold back my tears, to blush while sitting mesmerized by the sheer honesty of every story. If I were asked to pinpoint how I felt about the whole experience, I would hardly be able to find the words.
One of the funniest moments for me was the monologue “My Angry Vagina,” performed by Giselle Tongi, talking about what the vagina feels like when it is subjected to tampons, vaginal exams, and other painful things. Not only was it funny because I totally understood where she was coming from (Ob/Gyn visits are definitely not the most pleasant experiences), but she also delivered it in the perfect imitation of a Pilipino accent. There were a lot of humorous monologues like this one such as “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” complete with a climactic ending full of imitations of orgasmic moaning. Although these monologues stand out in my mind because of the hilarious content, it was eventually the more serious ones that made the greatest impact.
The last monologue was a strong ending to the performance. “Baptized” was acted by Tamlyn Tomita, and her resounding voice gave the message that I took away from The Vagina Monologues the moment it was spoken. It gave me chills as Tomita spoke the words describing women as the heart of the world and as holding the future in their bodies and we need to protect them. This monologue, for me, summed up the reason for The Vagina Monologues and V-Day; we need to recognize the importance of helping to stop violence, particularly against women and girls. While I can’t exactly tell you exactly how the performance made me feel, I know what I gained from it: respect for the women who shared their stories and the women who brought them to us and hope that everyone took away something from The Vagina Monologues that will help us change the culture of violence.
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