One woman shared traumatic childhood sexual experiences that she felt were ameliorated by an adolescent liaison with an older woman, and Ms Ensler shared an account of the birth of her granddaughter. The performance was clearly designed to provoke—riffing on the c-word and revelling in the discomfort generated by such a frank discussion—but it was also designed to amuse and move. After each performance, they would come up to Ms Ensler to share their stories of sexual abuse at the hands of strangers, boyfriends, husbands, fathers, and the feelings of shame and isolation that trailed that abuse. The show was even brought to an all-male prison in Queens, New York. On January 9th, an anniversary edition of the book was released, including six never-before-published monologues. But that success has been inevitably accompanied by a backlash.
Drawing on interviews she had done with more than women, the resulting monologues — delivered, over the years, by actors including Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon and Oprah Winfrey — told of women's experiences: sexuality, abuse, love, birth. But Ensler didn't stop there. Spurred on by the play's success — and by the stories women would spill to her after performances — two years later she created the V-Day movement. Mission: to end violence against women.
More than twenty years ago in her groundbreaking play The Vagina Monologues , Eve Ensler stood on stage to talk about something considered fiercely taboo. The play had a seismic effect, encouraging women to openly talk about their bodies and sexuality. They provided a mechanism for local activists to stage benefit productions of the play on college campuses and in communities across the world. Through the productions, they raised funds for local groups including rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters.