Turning Point

By: Chloe Peterson

 

Twelve women wearing red and black sit on the steps of Straub 156 as students file into the building, filling all 300 seats that are available. Presented by the Panhellenic women at the University of Oregon, the Vagina Monologues join the movement to stop sexual assault and violence against women. A reoccurring theme throughout the varying monologues read by women is the vagina. This word is used as a tool for female empowerment.

As the lights dim, the auditorium gets quiet, and the first set of performers come out. One of the first few women to perform is Cassidy Jones, a second year architecture major. With a wavering voice, Jones says her first line: “we were worried about vaginas.” As the piece progresses, you hear the confidence rise both in her voice and in her stature. The three women who are performing this monologue piece together the different reasons they are worried about vaginas.

For one performer, Cassidy Jones, this is something she never would have thought about doing. Sexual assault is a topic that hits close to home for her. During high school, she herself was sexually assaulted. She first heard about the Vagina Monologues through her sorority, Sigma Kappa. The moment she found out about this production, she knew it was the time to share her story. Talking about sexual assault makes many uncomfortable. In the months and years following her assault, she was shunned by family and friends for talking about it. She found a way to share her experience with others, while also proving to herself the resilience that she has. While many of her close friends and family knew that she was sexually assaulted, it was not something she had publically spoken about. Performing made her wary because she “knew that putting [herself] out there could make people suspect that [she] had a history with it.” Jones turned that feeling of fear into a feeling of encouragement and empowerment.

When she went through this traumatizing experience, she felt like there was no one she could talk to. She did not “want other girls to feel that same way.” As a survivor, she wanted to help defeat the different stigmas that surround sexual assault. With wide eyes and a grin from ear to ear, Levi Shutts says “that he has never been more proud of his beautiful girlfriend.” Jones felt empowered, moved, and supported by her peers.

By becoming more open with her experience, as a survivor and as a mentor to other women, Cassidy helps to combat the problem of sexual assault. In the future, she hopes to continue to speak out against sexual assault if it helps someone feel more comfortable with it themselves.