The Vagina Monologues

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses the source text’s graphic depictions of rape, sexual assault, suicide and suicidal ideation, and domestic and systemic violence against women.

The foreword to the 20th edition of The Vagina Monologues, written by Jacqueline Woodson, summarizes the impact of the play since its original production on both Jacqueline and generations of women across the world. Jacqueline writes that when she first read The Vagina Monologues, she had just had her first child and felt that, though she had seen the play years before, something was different because she had a daughter. She writes of the generational impact the play has made, noting that when she first got her period, she wanted it to go away, but when her daughter got her first one, she called for a celebration.

V reflects on the original production of The Vagina Monologues and her fear that she would experience violence because she says “vagina” so frequently in the play. Instead, she received positive and overwhelming reception from audiences in Manhattan, who came to her to share their own experiences with rape, assault, and violence. To her surprise, the show became a global phenomenon, and V reflects on her memories of the impact the play continues to make across the world.