GAAAAAAAAAAH!!! It's been forever since I've updated this thing. That's BAD. I feel not like myself if I don't write every day or every other day. But honestly, it's been so crazy chaotic the past 4 days that I haven't had a chance to breathe, eat or sleep, let alone write here.
No worries--I'm gonna write a couple of entries tonight.
What I really want to get off my chest right now is about today.
My fabulous college decided to put on The Vagina Monologues this year, for the first time. Now, I'm in love with the book. I bought it this summer and devoured it in an hour. And I re-read it every time I want to feel empowered, which is actually quite often. So when I found out that it was being performed here, I was BEYOND psyched.
So I got to go to it today, the last performance. I was quite impressed.
I mean, I knew what was going to be performed because I have the book, but I wasn't sure how it was going to be performed or read or whatnot.
Let me just say--for the UP being a hick-ass, mullet-baring community, this play kicked some major ass.
Sure, there were a couple of screw-ups and flubs and that's inevitable. But it was soooo good overall. (I was also psyched that I knew a few of the performers. Yay!)
Actually, though, there were a couple of monologues that weren't in the book, so I didn't quite know what to expect.
That's where my whole emotional problem lies.
One of them was about the turqa. That's the long black sheet that the women in Afghanistan are forced to wear. I hadn't really thought about it before, I just dismissed it as a part of their culture that the men dictated the women had to wear. But hearing it from a woman's point-of-view was really powerful. It disgusted me, to hear what her thought process was--that she was hid from the world, that she was ashamed, that she felt worthless and wanted to die, that she felt dead, that she couldn't see, that she felt like nothing. It broke my heart. I never had thought about this before. And she talked about how she was beaten by men because she couldn't see very well and they knew that so they were able to beat her. It was absolutely disgusting. This is a form of abuse and oppression and EVERY woman goes through this in that country? That shouldn't be acceptable. Why isn't there more being done to get the word out about this oppression and abuse of women? Why isn't there a stronger effort to help them? It breaks my heart.
The second monologue that wasn't in the book was about short skirts and how it's a way of expression and defiance and how we're strong and beautiful. It was quite empowering. Yay for short skirts!
But the third monologue I hadn't heard before.....damn, it hit closer to home that I really wished. It was about domestic abuse and how a husband hit and abused his wife. The way she described it.......
It was how my mom talked about how dad used to treat her. How he kicked her under the table and beat her to no end and told her how to act and psychologically manipulated her in ways.
It just hit really close to home for me. When she started talking about it, my eyes welled up and I just sunk into my seat. And I started thinking about my mom and how all I wished for at the moment was to hug her.
And I know that it turned out for the best in the end, because my mom got out, she's living a better life, and the monologue ended up being really empowering as well. But I really didn't think that this play was going to profoundly affect me like it did.
I want violence and abuse to stop. I wish all women were empowered to not take shit and to stand up for themselves and every other woman and be strong. And I wish that men weren't such assholes and wouldn't abuse a woman because she may be smaller or weaker or whatever the excuse may be. It's NOT ACCEPTABLE. And the fact that it happens every 15 seconds somewhere in the world is absolutely horrendous. This shouldn't happen.
Does this blow anyone else's mind?
I feel like I should become some sort of vigilante and de-ball any guy who has ever hit, insulted, raped or abused a girl or woman (or guy for that matter) in any way shape or form.
And I want to help. I feel helpless because it's such a huge problem. I wish I could do more to help. If I was a billionaire I'd donate a lot of money. But I'm not. If I wasn't a student I'd volunteer a shitload of my time. But I'm a student and can barely find time to sleep.
But I can pray. And I can be strong for those who can't be strong for themselves. And I hope anyone who reads this follows in my footsteps.
Ciao dahling!
~*Krissy*~
Livin' Out My RockStar Fantasy To: Work It by Missy
Crush du Jour: Jimmy Fallon
Happy Thought of the Moment: being empowered, changing the world for the better, vaginas