Content Warning: The source text and this study guide feature graphic depictions and discussion of rape, sexual assault, and domestic and systemic violence against women.

“If something isn’t named, it is not seen, it doesn’t exist.”

The Vagina Monologues aims to reveal and name the otherwise silenced and ignored violence and pleasure of women across the world, and this quote supports the idea that by naming vaginas and the violence women experience because of and to them, these realities can no longer be ignored.

“Here’s the place to think about our vaginas, to learn about other women’s vaginas, to hear stories and interviews, to answer questions and ask them. Here’s the place to release the myths, shame, and fear. Here’s the place to practice saying the word, because, as we know, the word is what propels us and sets us free. ‘VAGINA.’”

The play becomes a container and a movement for women to name their vaginas and connect to each other. This is further embodied by the many movements born from the original production of the play and uses the motif of repetition and the symbol of the vagina to do so.

“I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas, and even more worried that we don’t think about them.”

From the Introduction, V shares her motivations for creating the play and interviewing women about their vaginas. This quote represents the stigma and silence surrounding vaginas, both of which V sets out to break.