V-Day is a day of love and exchanging sentiments with the one
you love, right? Wrong.

This V-Day, the “V” stands for
“victory,” “valentine” and
“vagina” and is part of a campaign to raise money and
awareness to stop violence against women.

Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” will be
performed as part of the V-Day festivities.

According to the V-Day Web site, benefit performances of
“The Vagina Monologues” are designed to change social
attitudes toward violence against women.

“The real impact is it gets the message out in an
entertaining way,” said Michell Ward, organizer of OU’s
V-Day.

Not only are the monologues helping raise awareness about
women’s issues, they is also helping raise money for the
Norman Women’s Resource Center.

“After seeing the monologues, you will leave with a
definite opinion,” said Susie Gidseg, actress in “The
Vagina Monologues.”

Gidseg said she hopes the campus as well as the community will
come out to watch the show and hopes they will change
people’s views on women’s topics.

“People finally get to see things from a woman’s
perspective,” Gidseg said.

Not all of the monologues are serious. Many are funny stories
about how women relate to their bodies.

“The monologues flow really well,” said Ryan
McKenna, vice president of the Society for Women Students and
Supporters.

“Women can really relate to all the issues. All of them
are really powerful no matter if they are really funny or really
sad,” she said.

“The Vagina Monologues” is not just for women.

Men can also relate to the monologues.

The monologues are based on interviews where women from all over
the world discuss their sexuality and how it feels to be a
woman.

“Expect to be shocked,” said Gidseg. “Most
people have heard about it and have an idea of what to expect, but
with every year the play changes. It’s totally all over the
page.”

Although the play deals with issues like rape and genital
mutilation, Gidseg urges students to take a chance and come see the
play.

This is the fourth year “The Vagina Monologues” have
come to OU for V-Day.

The V-Day College Campaign invites university communities to
present benefit productions of “The Vagina Monologues”
on their campuses on or around Feb. 14 to raise money and awareness
to stop violence against women and girls.

“The Vagina Monologues” will be performed at 8 p.m.
Thursday and Friday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom.

Admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Seating is on a first-come-first-seated basis.

Last year, “The Vagina Monologues” did not sell
out.

The play is sponsored by the Union Programming Board and the
Society for Women Students and Supporters.
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