What Do You Think of Eve Ensler?

[GlindatheGood22]

I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos of her reading her work and I think she is just marvelous. But the other day I had a conversation with a (female) friend who thinks she's set feminism back, her logic being that her constantly, well, monologuing about vaginas degrades women by boiling them down to just their reproductive parts. I'd never thought of it like that and I disagree 100%.

But I know other people have taken issue with Eve, particularly with her essay in which a young girl has sex with an older woman and calls it "good rape."

I guess I'm just curious as to what everyone's opinions of Ms Ensler and her work are.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

If your friend really thinks the Vagina Monologues boils women down to their reproductive parts, she's either never seen it or read it, is trying too hard to be deliberately provocative, or is just kinda dumb.

[GlindatheGood22]

I pick the third one.

[NJBway]

well i've done a few of her plays myself, in her other works they all pertain to the subject of rape & are described as complete horror scenes. I think it's a freedom to be able to openly talk about your vagina & her monologues helped the start of that

[IComeInPeace]

I feel that she is a bit obsessed with body parts. Remember the play about her stomach? I think your friend is right in that her work gives the impression that women think about vaginas or stomachs enough to have an opinion about them. I know I don't. This is one of those cases where women say that it is empowering to "embrace" their sexuality by going public with it. Also, any play with the word vagina in the title is going to attract people (think Cock). It also attracts bachlorette parties (Like Love, Loss, and what i wore)so it's a guaranteed house filler.
That being said, there was an important component to the V monologues when she talks about the horrors of rape and the beuaty of childbirth. If she had just focused on those intellectual components then it would have been better

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

The Vagina Monologues attracts bachelorette parties?

[Almira]

I've been curious about her contribution to the book to WICKED.

Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues,” gets royalties for her uncredited work on some scenes, two people familiar with the production said. Her involvement isn’t disclosed in the papers or in accounts of the show’s creation. An e-mail to Ensler’s office wasn’t returned.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-11/-wicked-team-got-95-million-of-show-s-300-million-pie.html

[goldenboy]

I think her vagina speaks for itself.

[FindingNamo]

I think I hate any human, vaginaed or not, who would complain that The Vagina Monologues focusses to much on vaginas. Also, any woman who would ever invoke Ensler, her plays, and the phrase "sets feminism back."

[Kad]

Anyone who doubts the importance of Ensler and The Vagina Monologues has had their head in the sand for the last year.

[emlodik]

I think she's a psychotic, pseudo-intellectual misandrist with numerous double standards and I'm highly suspicious regarding her claims that her father molested her, just sounds like an excuse to bash men and make money off of naive feminist-wannabe college girls.

As for "The Vagina Monologues" - WORST. PUPPET SHOW. EVER.

I do think it has great potential if Jim Steinman adapted it into a musical, "Total Dykefest of the Heart" and "Tonight's What it Means to Eat Rug" are sure to be major showstoppers.

[dreaming]

I can't stand her philosophy of man-hating being equivalent to feminism-that's not, in my view, an accurate representation of the concept at all.

[ChiChi]

She gets by on being shocking and off putting rather than by being talented.

[emlodik]

"Once upon a time, there was dick in Eve's life, but now she's wanting nothing but vadge. There's nothing she can do, a total dykefest of the heart..."

[GlindatheGood22]

Emlodik, seems to me you're looking to push buttons but I've got another twenty minutes till my train gets here so I'll bite. What about her do you consider to be man-hating? Seems to me she always talks about how men are necessary in order to help make the world safer for women. Of course she's taken stands against patriarchy and the violence it can incite, but I'd hardly call her man hating. Inequality and violence hating, of course. But doesn't it seem to you that practically every feminist since the beginning of time has been accused
of being a man hating dyke?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

So not only does emlodik hate other gay men, but he hates women, too?

[PalJoey]

It's very possible that one or two of the posters in this thread may harbor hatred toward their mommies.

[Lohania]

Laughable that a man who hates women would call anyone a misandrist. I believe Emo-dik is a misogynist himself. Not to mention a person who hates LGBT people. He must be a closet G himself.

[emlodik]

What a bunch of sad, pathetic, butthurting, overly PC sheep.

You asked me what I thought of Eve Ensler. I gave my opinion. If you hate it so much, then go cry to Isis and wait for her to do something about it.

[PalJoey]

"PC"? "Isis"? Do you even make sense to yourself?

Anyway, I'd rather be a sheep than a "dik" any day.

[GlindatheGood22]

Emlodik, I don't hate your answer, but unless you could please answer my questions and give me some concrete evidence to support your claims I don't see how anyone could take you very seriously.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Also, throwing the word dyke out in a public forum in this context doesn't make you an anti-PC crusader; it just makes you an asshole.

[emlodik]

Dyke.

[ghostlight2]

Twat.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Eeesh. Russia's loss really wasn't our gain, was it?

[ghostlight2]

I'm sorry - I thought we were doing word associations.