In Jabberwocky Cafe, an intimate space cozied with plush chairs in Schine Underground, the cast of The Vagina Monologues rehearse for their upcoming performances. Some craft posters with glitter and colored pencils, while others intently watch peers perform each monologue.

The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler in the 1990s, is performed at institutions across the United States every year. At Syracuse University, Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment put on the show each year, with 27 featured roles.

The monologues will be performed at Hendricks Chapel on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with 90 percent of the proceeds going to the Syracuse Planned Parenthood and the remaining 10 percent to women in prison, detention centers and formerly incarcerated women.

Crystal Letona, a senior who just transitioned out of her role as SASSE’s president, is the director of this year’s production. Before joining SASSE, she said she came to SU as an “ignorant freshman.” But after she was exposed to the organization at the activities fair her first semester on campus, she said she became more informed and educated.

“It’s been such a radical political awakening being in SASSE,” she said. “It’s a space where I can really grow, not just as a feminist, but as a leader, as a person, as a human caring for others.”

Freshman Marie Pascual, graphic designer for the organization, agreed with Letona’s sentiments. Joining SASSE has been a learning experience, she said, because her family didn’t talk about vaginas openly, but now she feels she can without being judged.

It’s a safe space, added junior television, radio and film major Francesca Ortega. The organization explores topics that aren’t normally discussed and she said that joining SASSE allowed her to get comfortable with the word “vagina.”

“Hearing ‘vagina’ from different voices and tones is awesome,” Ortega said.

The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler in the 1990s, explores themes of women sexuality, including masturbation, body image and sexual assault. Cherilyn Beckles | Contributing Photographer

The goal of the Vagina Monologues is to normalize women’s issues, said Simone Girma, a senior television, radio and film major and member of SASSE. The monologues tell different women’s stories, sharing what the author discovered when interviewing women about their own bodies.

“I didn’t know there were so many ways to interpret a vagina,” said Girma, laughing.

Senior broadcast and digital journalism major Hannah Rovito — who is performing her monologue for the third year in a row — said the stories of the Vagina Monologues are ones not normally shared in the mainstream media.

Her monologue, “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” tells the story about a sex worker who finds joy in her job. Rovito added that this is different from mainstream portrayals of sex workers, which typically implies they have been forced into the job or are doing it out of necessity, which isn’t always the case.

Danielle Lippman, a senior human development and family science major, shared similar sentiments about her monologue, called “Hair.” Women are often presented in ways that supposedly make men happy, she said, such as being portrayed with no body hair. Lippman’s monologue is about reclaiming pubic hair and fighting back against that stereotype forced onto women, she said.

For Lippman, a sexual assault survivor, it’s crucial for the Vagina Monologues’ message of empowerment to spread and be heard. That reclamation of self-love and empowerment is what SASSE advocates for, she added.

Letona said that empowerment and “being woke,” though, has become trendy. Being a feminist, to her, means being an activist. Participating in organizations such as SASSE and bringing conversation of feminism to the table makes a person a feminist, she said, not only going to marches and protests.

People will go to events such as the Women’s March just to take a picture with their “edgy sign,” Pascual said, but that’s not what’s important. She said the conversation should begin there, at events with other people who are passionate about similar issues, so participants can make collective change.

The Vagina Monologues is an opportunity to discuss feminism, Letona said, and she hopes SASSE can help people be more politically informed.

“It’s important to remember that even though ‘woke’ is cool right now, being conscious and aware is forever,” she said.

Published on February 13, 2019 at 11:13 pm

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu