The Vagina Monologues

A brief introduction to the “Spotlight Monologues” describes them as a collection of monologues that detail specific V-Day spotlights or circumstances where women were “totally at risk” (92).

Dedicated to Esther, the monologue begins in Islamabad, Pakistan, and details a woman’s experience with domestic violence resulting in disfiguration from acid. The next section takes place in Juarez, Mexico, where 300 women are kidnapped and mutilated down to the bone.

This monologue is dedicated to Zoya and is preceded by a brief disclaimer that the piece is about women being forced to wear a burqa, rather than commentary on the burqa as a religious symbol for many women across the world.

The narrator speaks from underneath the burqa and describes how hot and oppressive both the burqa and gender expectations are that surround her. She suffocates under the weight of the burqa as her husband is shot and she loses her children. Through the experience, she loses her identity, feeling trapped by and caged by her oppression and garment.