“The Training Bra Monologues”

By: Cheyenne Thorpe

Site coordinator River Aaland, center left, and performer Emmelyn King, center right, prepare to set the stage for the Women’s Advisory Council for Youth’s original presentation of “The Training Bra Monologues.” WACY held this second annual production on February 12, 2017, at Ophelia’s Place, a non-profit organization devoted to creating an education, support, and preventative based community for young girls.

Performing her original piece, “Autumn Baby,” Eloise Parish Mueloer, 15, took the stage after years of writing and preparation to speak about the themes of youth, womanhood, and discrimination. “As a girl, I was unstoppable,” Mueloer said, “As a woman it seemed I had to be rounder and weaker than the boys. I had to have a look that marked me as the child-bearing sex.”

Emmelyn King, Eloise Parish Mueloer, Jesse Pearce, Maya Corral, Hannah Shiesinger, and Lily Butler in order from left to right, receive a standing ovation from the crowd after their emotional musical and spoken word performances.

“The Training Bra Monologues” event was created as a way to honor One Billon Rising’s mission to bring awareness to end sexual violence against women. Abby Gershenzon’s ticket number was called as a part of the raffle that WACY held in which all of the proceeds went to the Sexual Assault Support Services.

Singer/ songwriter DeForest Wihtol, more commonly known as Dodger, recently returned to Eugene from the Women’s March in Washington D.C. where she wrote one of the songs that she performed at Ophelia’s Place. After performing four pieces, Dodger explained that the thing that inspires her the most is the youth of our world.