Campus was abuzz with talk of vaginas thanks to the Vagina Monologues. Carleton’s recent production sold out the first night, almost sold out the second night, and more importantly, it raised awareness about issues women face that are often taboo. This approach has been so successful that it should be adopted to explore taboo subjects related to men.
A set of male monologues would give people the opportunity to examine issues of masculinity and yes, penises. Monologues on gay bashing, muscle dysmorphia and male enhancement could help break down the false ideas of the heterosexual “manly” men society has built up.
These male monologues could also pool from the Vagina Monologues’ characters, including a transgendered person who addresses sexuality or a man who beat his wife because of the vicious cycle of abuse he witnessed between his parents as a child.
This is not to say the Vagina Monologues should include male monologues. That would simply take away from the strength of the production and the message of female empowerment. This wouldn’t be a counterpart to the Vagina Monologues, either. Instead of being some sort of “male power” assertion, these male monologues would complement the Vagina Monologues as a separate platform for men whose voices have been silenced.
Beyond this, a male set of monologues would give a voice to more men in the theatre community. Carleton does have a good base of actors, but it needs more men to get involved.
Their voices would bolster the presence of men in Carleton’s theatre community while raising awareness about gender-based violence and discrimination.
