Vagina Monologues Blog 3

            I though all of the monologues in The Vagina Monologues were very unique and eye opening, but one that really intrigued me was “What does your vagina smell like?” I think one of the reasons that I find it so intriguing is because that is something I never really thought about, and honestly, I do not think that may people do think about it. The only time it is really discussed, or at least in my opinion, is when a vagina smells bad. I feel as if the media raises girls to believe that their vagina is something that needs to be made beautiful. Vaginas have their own deodorants and washes. When these young girls grow up into women, they are cultured to believe that they have to do things, like use the products listed above, to make their vagina more appealing and desirable. I mean, what is wrong with the way vagina smells?

            I found the simplistic structure of this poem to be very appealing. I think that if it was structured any other way that it would take away from the meaning and the affect of the point Ensler was trying to make. It is just the answer to the question with no explanation. An explanation could have influenced how the reader/viewer would have answered the question. Most of the answers are just a few words. They are simple and to the point.  Only one of the answers goes to a second line. When writing this monologue, I think that Ensler was try to get her female readers/viewers to think about how they would answer this question and the male readers/viewers to think about how they would answer this question in relation to the vaginas they have (or have not encountered). Ensler knew this and only gave the necessary information to get people thinking.

            A majority of the answers are pretty different two. Some of them are similar, but no two are completely the same. I this was something that was purposely done by Ensler as well. She wanted to get people thinking, and I think she was successful at this. Again, what a vagina smells like is not something that has a positive connotation in our culture. This is hinted at in some of the answers, but a majority of the answers are provocative and outside of the box. They are enticing and make you think.

            My favorite answer was “Somewhere between fish and lilacs.” I have no idea how something could go from smelling like fish to lilacs. They are completely different and do not smell anything alike, but someone thinks this is how her vagina smells. It just makes me giggle.

            Overall, I find this monologue intriguing, provocative, enticing, simple, and creative. Ensler put light on a taboo topic in our society and I think that she was effective with the structure that she used to have the discussion about this taboo topic.