In response to “V is for Violating Modesty and Dignity” by Jenna Robinson [Commentary, Feb. 13], I would like to make a case for V-Day events, specifically The Vagina Monologues.
Robinson states that V-Day sexually objectifies women, but this is, unfortunately, a very shallow interpretation of the Monologues. As any woman who has been sexually abused will know, sexuality can be effectively turned against the abused woman. She can be made to despise her sexuality and her body to the point that self-hatred takes the place of animosity towards the abuser, encouraging the longevity of harmful relationships.
The Vagina Monologues does not seek to raise money by selling sex, as Robinson clearly believes, but rather [to] counteract the impulse of many abused women to blame themselves for and be ashamed of the horrific deeds another has done to them. The play promotes self-respect, which is a crucial aspect of healthy relationships. Monologues merely encourages women to be proud of their bodies (an idea that this society does not support) and to abandon the absurd idea that the female body is merely an object for male pleasure. Rather than objectifying women, [it] gives women a platform from which they can delight in their own bodies and gain back some of the dignity they have been deprived of for centuries.
— Megan Scott
Asheville
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