Eve Ensler: Security and Insecurity

V to the Tenth

10th year anniversary of “The Vagina Monologues.” A weekend I will never forget.

Reclaiming Cunt

You know what they say– all press is good press!

I think it is hilarious that the words used in “The Vagina Monologues” are still causing such a ruckus–even in the year 2008! What is ridiculous is that Fonda used the ::gasp:: “C-WORD” in complete context–she was simply naming the monologue she was asked to perform, she was not using it in a profane way. Yet everyone FLIPPED out. Common, people!

Language is all about context, and Fonda was completely appropriate: words do not hold inherent power, only so much as we give them power. And we have the power to change the meaning of a word if we want to, because language is dynamic, not static! This is the very pointof the monologue itself! The short monologue, written in a sensual slam-poet type of way, is an empowering piece that shifts the negative connotation away from the word and moves it into a place of profound acceptance and ownership; the piece is called “Reclaiming Cunt.” Maybe instead of freaking out and apologizing to the viewers which only perpetuated the dirtiness of the word, a conversation could have started about why Eve wrote the piece, and its important and powerful purpose in our culture.
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The actress used the four-letter c-word for a woman’s anatomy on the show Thursday while talking about the play “The Vagina Monologues.” Fonda, 70, is appearing in a 10th-anniversary performance.

Fonda said she was asked to perform a monologue with the slang term for vagina as the title — and she used the term itself on the air. She said her reply was, “I don’t think so. I’ve got enough problems.”

About 10 minutes later, “Today” co-host Meredith Vieira told viewers that “Today” and Fonda apologized for the remark.

NBC News has recently apologized for comments made by Chris Matthews and David Shuster

–Associated Press
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My Hero

Eve created an entire movement out of one question: What is your vagina story? She gives me hope. Hope in change. Hope in being a survivor, not a victim. Hope in love. Hope in peace and solidarity and respect. She gives me the hope that I can make a positive change in the world, no matter how broken I may be. And in a larger way, she has given me that very chance as I have found myself acting the role of an activist in a global movement to end violence against women. And it’s pretty powerful. So, thank you Eve. I hope to see you in New Orleans.