‘Smile If You’re Sick Of Hearing The Word Vagina’

Just a quote from Giggles’ diary to start my entry off. I’m not sure what FemSoc is doing so continually to make you all so angry. No, let me correct that, I do know that they are being insensitive and using emotional blackmail to gain money for the Preston Women’s Refuge. As the Orange would doubtless say, the cause is righteous but the actions are not.

So what do I think? Well I’m dissapointed on a personal level, because this means that none of my friends are planning on coming to see my exhibtion (which will be so much finer than last years) on the other hand three of my best friends did come and support me in this last year. On the other hand if you are sick of hearing the word Vagina it does mean that we are having better publicity than we managed last year our posters are still getting torn down and postered over but we doubled the budget for printing posters this year after the same thing happened last year; and who are these people who tear down the posters I mean I didn’t think that real mysogynists existed anymore.

But people are becoming angry about feminists grabbing them and demanding money, understandably so…and I was pissed off about that. But not as pissed off as I am about women being beaten up in relationships, about women being emotionally, verbally, physically and sexually abused. That really makes me mad. So am I one of these terrible feminists who won’t shut up about the word vagina? Yes I guess that I am, I’m not going to emotionally blackmail you for money, I am going to make artworks to raise money for the Preston Women’s Refuge. The cause is righteous and my actions are going to be just. But I’m glad that so many people are hearing the word vagina.

We aren’t shouting it in the middle of a barcrawl to drown out the voices of everybody around us, trying to be funny; we are telling you about it though to try and make sure that everybody loves it, everybody has at least heard it and that nobody wants to abuse it. Vagina? Sorry if you’re sick of hearing it but at least you know about the monologues this year, and you know that we are raising money for the Preston Women’s Refuge. I’m sorry if FemSoc’s actions have been inexcusable but I’m standing by our cause; its the people not the word, its the people not the cause that you are sick of.

Vagina Vagina Vagina. You don’t have to drink to it, just remember not to hurt it.

4 thoughts on “‘Smile If You’re Sick Of Hearing The Word Vagina’

  1. The only thing that bugs me about V-Day is that they had the nerve to use ‘Domestic Violence Doesn’t Discriminate’ as their tagline…

    …and then announce that V-Day’s a campaign to end violence against "women and girls"…

    …on the same page that cited the fact that 19% of domestic abuse victims are male.

    Kind of jars with me.

  2. No, really, its the word that I’m sick of.

    for 364.25 days of the year, my bestest friend Shell watson might be described in the following way: "Thoughful, intellegent, giving and honest, if sometimes a little shy, and a little outspoken. A lover of philosphy, literature, music and science fiction, With brightly coloured hair, pretty brown eyes – an eclectic mish mash of hippy and goth all converging on the body of a blossoming english rose." But for one day each year, all of her attributes both possitive and negative (according to Femsoc anyways) are ignored entirely and she becomes a vagina! I obviously do not speak for the king of men, but if I were her, I’d be pretty offended about that! Heck, if you reduced everything that I am down to my penis, I’d be alarmingly upset!

    Firstly, it seems to me that a campaign to embetter women is shooting itself in the foot when it reduces the very people it is trying to help down to their sexual organs.

    And secondly: its just really annoying! The campaign is clearly designed to be shocking. Fair enough, but there is nothing shocking about vaginas. There just a fleshy hole for christs sake. If this were the seventeenth century, maybe, or if all men were like those who mutilate your posters, fine, but its not and we aren’t.
    Its just a word, and its being bantered about all the time like a five year old who has just learned the word ‘bum’ and its neither big, nor clever.

    Indeed, your reaction to my ‘smile if you love the cock’ press card demonstrated aptly how irritating this who vagina thing is.

    *Disclaimer, jason is not against the cause, femsoc, the vagina monolouges, v-day or anything else – he simply has had enough of the word vagina.*

  3. Ok then Orange.

    Firstly: the V-Day campaign is not about reducing people down to their sexual organs (Dodge chanting about the cock in County bar does that in my opinion). You came to the Vagina Monologues last year, you know that its not about saying Giggles, me and any other woman you care to name are vaginas. What it does say is that we have vaginas, this might not be as revolutionary as it might’ve been in the seventies but it still has a place today. Women don’t feel that they do own their sexuality (or their bodies always) I have a vagina and its mine to do with as I wish: that guy/girl over their thinks I should be using it to sleep with them…only if I choose to.

    Secondly: It is shocking, yes this years publicity campaign has taken the edge of somewhat. However they are not just some fleshy hole and nor is your cock just some fleshy ‘finger’, don’t be so dismissive of the human body it deserves more respect than that; which you know is what this campaign is about.

    It’s just a word that is being bantered about all the time? I don’t think so, you hear it a lot when there aren’t feminists about talking about V-Day?

    My reaction to your ‘cock’ postcard? I have heard PULSAR barcrawls chanting to the cock pointlessly for monthes now. Why do you do it? You’re not raising money for male victims of abuse but the word Vagina has been in circulation for two weeks for a reason and your fed up of it?
    Chanting to the cock whilst drunk or shouting the word Vagina to gain publicity for a campaign to raise money for a womens shelter? Which is most like a five year old learning the word bum?

    Yes femsoc tarred everyone with the same brush last week and I blushed for it. But this campign has a place and a reason and enough people are like those who tore down and vandalised the posters for there to be a place for it.

  4. yup. our chanting ‘cock’ is immature. I’m sure dodge would willingly admit that.

    But, my arguement still stands.

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