Women put taboos aside Thursday night to talk about one thing they all have in common: a vagina.
Victory Over Violence, a UF student organization dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence, held auditions Wednesday and Thursday for "The Vagina Monologues."
"The Vagina Monologues" is performed by women who relate to the vagina in each of their monologues, whether through sex, birth or abuse.
"The name can sound deceiving, like it's porn or something," said Jackie Azis, the president of Victory Over Violence. "It's not. It's about empowering women."
The play was written in 1996 by Eve Ensler, who interviewed more than 200 women about their views on sex.
This year, 10 monologues were chosen, and about 20 women came to Thursday's audition for the varying roles.
UF freshman Christine Hart auditioned for what she considered one of the lighter pieces.
Titled "Because He Liked to Look at It," the monologue details a woman's sexual rendezvous with a man who appreciates her entire body, including her vagina.
"It sounded like it could be outrageous but fun," Hart said. "It doesn't faze me, but I can imagine how my mom would feel if I brought her."
Chanelle Strammer, a UF family, youth and community sciences senior, has never seen the play but decided to throw herself into a new experience by trying out for two monologues.
"The play's all about understanding how to appreciate myself and my body through the experiences shared by other people," Strammer said.
UF sophomore Sara Daniel auditioned for "Reclaiming Cunt," which is about a woman who turns the word's negative connotation into something positive.
"It was a real learning experience for me," said Daniel, who hopes to work in women's medical care one day. "I think this will help me be a better woman and a better doctor."
Rachel Suarez, a UF theater junior, said she auditioned because she's always associated herself with feminism.
"It's a good thing," Suarez said of feminism. "It's like a 'I am woman, hear me roar' kind of thing."
Suarez auditioned for a monologue titled "The Vagina Workshop," a comedic piece about a woman who goes to a seminar to learn to appreciate and accept her vagina as a part of herself rather than a separate entity.
"Sexuality and women is still seen as very taboo," Suarez said. "You have to forget what you've been told all your life and embrace being a woman. Embrace yourself."
