A review by readivine
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

5.0

“The heart is capable of sacrifice.

So is the vagina.

The heart is able to forgive and repair. It can change it's shape to let us in. It can expand to let us out.

So can the vagina.

It can ache for us and stretch for us, die for us and bleed and bleed us into this difficult, wondrous world.

So can the vagina.”

This is definitely one of my favorite books this year! I know that most people would be uncomfortable reading this (of course when they don't have a vagina to begin with) and some even posted long drawn out analysis that explains how pseudo-feminist The Vagina Monologues are. They say women should be viewed as normal people and that there's no need to "deify" the vagina or even talk about it. It's not special right???

I honestly was taken aback by this take because they seem to not get the memo that this was supposedly written to empower women and to reclaim the derogatory meaning attached to the vagina. Like, did we read the same thing or you just didn't get the vulnerable stories of violence against women here and how our patriarchal society compartmentalized women's bodies into neat little shapes??? The Vagina Monologues is hilariously written, it's sometimes obscene, but most importantly it's unflinchingly honest.

I am my vagina. I am privileged enough to have never experienced violence just because I'm a woman (thanks mom and dad!). But coming to terms with your sex and knowing the intricacies of your body doesn't necessarily mean that we are objectifying our own bodies! Can you even hear how absurd that sounds? As if countless objectification by the opposite sex isn't enough. LOL I really hate how dismissive some of the reviews of this book are especially when the book is not just about romanticizing the vagina.

Yes we're hyper fixating in the vagina but by doing so, women are given the space to realize the autonomy of their bodies outside the male gaze! I love this book mostly because it's refreshing to read about my body and it further opens my eyes on the experiences of other women brought by the act of diminishing their vagina. If you're a woman and you probably have doubts on picking this one up then I think you should try reading three star reviews (they're the most unbiased) instead of believing the low ratings.

I'm making this a 5 star read because I love how this book also emphasized women solidarity above all else. I'll probably watch the play soon!!!