Celebrate V-Day (beliefs, America, church, experience, sexuality)

[Green Gaia]

http://www.vday.org/main.html

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities. In 2006, over 2700 V-Day benefit events are taking place by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.

[Green Gaia]

I was reading an article written for V-Day by a nun, (yes a real nun). She addresses the Catholic church since that's what she knows, but I think the attitude that most in our society and culture have about women and their vaginas are similar to what the Vagina Monologues were/are trying to overcome.

One thing she said in particular struck me as very true:

Having grown up with several brothers I practically needed a penis dictionary to translate the endless double entendres that poured out of them at such a rapid rate. At first I remember being grossed out. But then I gradually began to realize that that was their way of processing that part of their reality. They could talk about it and joke about it just like anything else. There’s something very healthy about that.

I, however, was not afforded the same luxury. My girlfriends and I generally didn’t talk about what our vaginas felt like, what it felt like to have our period, etc. Perhaps because our experience is a lot more internal than external, hidden even on a physical level, it remained an issue that we kept to ourselves and didn’t discuss. And when we did try to talk about it we learned that it was just not appropriate for women to discuss the functions of their reproductive system. This tendency is extremely detrimental to girls and women because it leads to keeping anything connected with our vaginas a secret—sexual abuse being the best kept secret among them.

[Green Gaia]

*Hmm... tries a different angle*



Do you think it's true that women in our society are to taught when growing up to have internalized shame about our bodies and sexuality? Why or why not? If so, what are the effects of this and what can be done to change it?

[lizskid]

Yes, I believe our American (and maybe some others) have real hang-ups regarding sex. Part of that is due to religious beliefs/stories/interpretations. I don't know what the other part is due to!!! Maybe our primarily British heritage???? (waiting for the Brits to yell at me)

[Green Gaia]

I do remember being told not to touch "down there" because it was dirty and wrong. Of course this made me even more curious about it and when I found out it actually felt good, I had a lot of guilty feelings about it for many years growing up. Whereas it seemed boys were encourages and freely talked about exploring their bodies.

What is the cause of approaching sexuality so differently between genders?