In vaginas we trust: RU Vagina Monologues kicked off this weekend

A chorus of voices chanting “VAGINA! VAGINA! VAGINA!” is not the usual welcome we get upon walking into the College Ave Student Center – except for this past weekend during the Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance’s  annual production of the Vagina Monologues.

Through the re-telling of a collection of hysterically funny, cringe-inducing, but above-all, empowering true stories , VPVA and the Rutgers cast of the Vagina Monologues brought awareness of the every one in three women who will be affected by violence each year worldwide. All ticket sales benefited the rape crisis center of Middlesex County.

The theme of this year’s show acknowledged the upcoming 2016 election and the fact that women still make up less than 20% of congressional seats in the United States. The show opened with the cast parading into the audience dressed in sleek black suits and pencil skirts, doing their best congresswomen impressions. An emblem projected behind a podium read “In Vaginas We Trust.”

So no, contrary to what you might have believed, this performance is not about talking vaginas. Well, not entirely. One of the more lighthearted pieces is an interview that asks three women, “If your vagina could talk, what would it say?” and “If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?”

One special feature of the Rutgers production of the Vagina Monologues was the inclusion of the piece “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy… Or So They Tried,” which addresses the disproportionate  amount of violence transgender women face through the poignant personal stories of a few.

At the end of each of the Vagina Monologues productions performed worldwide, audience members are asked to stand if they have experienced or know someone who has experienced sexual violence. About half of the room slowly rose from their seats. Then, those still seated were asked to stand if they would do everything in their power to stop sexual violence, and the entire room stood in solidarity.