Feminist Ideas In Ensler's Vagina Monologues

women equal to men in the idea that men can have sex whenever they want and society views that as a good thing. It is believed that woman should be able to express their sexuality just as much as men, and that suppressing it shows inequality. Even in literature “sex has been a taboo subject for so long and therefore was a largely untapped resource for the novelist” (Foster 149). Feminists that believe in women’s sexuality argue that trying to keep oneself “pure” and wholesome shows the idea of ownership of a woman in marriage, where the woman should be pure for her husband. Both plays circle around these ideas in different lights. Ensler’s Vagina Monologues take a more obvious approach to the feminist idea of sexuality. It is even in the title. “Women coming to voice about their vaginas has the appeal of transgressing norms that have

Stanley even expects Blanche to “come clean” about her private affairs. When he finds news of her sexual encounters, Mitch gets mad at Blanche for not wanting to have sex with him. She tells him, “I guess you are used to girls who like to get lost. The kind that get lost immediately, on the first date!” (Williams 87). Stanley also uses her sexual past as an excuse to rape her, saying that they “had this date from the start” (Williams 180). In the play, Blanche is used as a scapegoat of the other characters’ worries and problems because of the way she lives out her desires. She is a young woman who, to the other characters, represents naked, pure desire, which is seen as a negative aspect of her personality. (Thomieres). Third wave feminism suggests that desire is not negative because “Human bodies crave food, sleep, sexual pleasure, etc.” (Thomieres 377). It is a basic human need, so nobody should be shamed for participating in their own