| by Sandra Keats
aka Dolores Mulvawitz PART ONE of THREE: The Conception You’re on a journey to the most mysterious place in the world. Getting here can sometimes be a struggle. It takes time, or at least it should. It takes effort. It takes skill. Some will make it, some won’t. If you do arrive here, male and female alike, it’s possible that you will have no idea what to do. Some have even said that this deep, dark and warm cavern can be quite frightening. Don’t be afraid. It is, in reality, a magical place—it could possibly be the eighth wonder of the world. Maybe you’ve never been here before; maybe you’re a regular. Either way, you are here. Welcome to the vagina. There is so much to explore, so much to see and do. You just want to roll up your sleeves and dive right in there. But hold up cowgirl/cowboy – throw down your weapons. Do you know what you’re doing? Are you learned in the ways of this glorious entity? Whether you are or you aren’t, there is always more to learn. Those who were fortunate enough to attend February 10th’s Vagina Carnival at the Norris University Center discovered all they ever wanted to know about that place they always wanted to know about. Like P.T. Barnum and his three rings, the Vagina Carnival blew through town this weekend, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Immediately preceding NU’s own performance of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, the carnival was about an hour-and-a-half, chock full of exploration and experimentation. The images associated with a carnival of vaginas are provocative to some, disquieting to others. “Carnivals conjure up pictures of Ferris wheels, games, cotton candy, and carnies,” Amy Reilly says. “Oh, and maybe a mullet or two—not vulvas and tampons. The juxtaposition is a bit disturbing.” The Vagina Carnival was the brainchild of Katy Quissell, Executive Adviser to the Women's Coalition. Quissell conceived the idea of a carnival this past summer, but it was a “joint conceptualization” with her partner in crime, Sarah Lipton-Lubet, Women’s Co. Public Relations Adviser. Until a couple of weeks ago, the word “vagina” hadn’t been so prominent on campus. It is doubtful that in the history of the great and powerful Daily Northwestern that the word vagina had ever appeared in a headline; that is until the one printed in mid-January. Well, the word is out now, so shout it loud, “Vagina, Vagina, Vagina.” Say it ten times fast and it isn’t so much the faux pas you thought it was. According to Lipton-Lubet, the mantra of the Vagina Carnival was simple: “Your vagina is not a void. Your vagina exists in its own right. Your vagina does not need a penis to define it—it defines itself.” This carnival was intended to be fun, but informative as well. Women’s Co. didn’t put all this hard work into the Vagina Carnival just for shits and giggles. “People had so much fun at the carnival, but they also learned a lot without even knowing it,” Quissell says. “We tried to combine art, activism and awareness in an attempt to break through a lot of the taboos surrounding female sexuality.” Originally Women’s Co. planned to have more booths and activities, like the Vagina Puppet Show, Construct Your Own Puppet, Build a Vag, Tampon Chess, and my personal favorite, What Does Your Vagina Smell Like? But due to recent controversy and a lack of resources, these booths were not at the carnival, she says. Now that you are a little warmed up, let’s explore the word and its meaning a little bit more. Because according to some, it isn’t just a word. "It’s the penis of the female world. Used for reproducing, and yes, I have heard that some crazy kids use it for stimulation,” says Tom Vranas. Other theories about the vagina and the female body, however, aren’t quite as narrow-minded. “The underlying cultural assumption in our society is that female bodies are for fucking, they’re for looking at and they’re for touching,” Lipton-Lubet says. “If not explicitly, then implicitly the vagina in mass culture has really always been defined as a lack of, like a void." "It’s where we would have a penis if we were men, but we don’t, so it’s nothing. Not only is it nothing, but it is defined only by the insertion of the penis,” she says. When you think of the word “vagina,” what comes to your mind? A bit of independent research conducted around campus suggests that the most popular answer is sex. Others responded by saying they find vaginas gross. “Ick,” says Tamina Plum, when asked what the first thing that came to her mind was when she heard the word. As you can see by Plum’s response, it isn’t only the guys who are afraid of vaginas. Girls are grossed out and scared of their own vaginas. “There are a lot of women who don’t even know what their vaginas look like,” Lipton-Lubet says. “That’s really sad.” Therein lies the purpose of the Vagina Carnival. “People have this image of this dark, dank, scary cave down there, and you don’t know what’s coming from it and you have to run and hide," Lipton-Lubet says. "When in all actuality all human life comes from down there,” On to PART TWO of THREE: The Odyssey >>
"So join me, if your imagination and stamina are up to the challenge ..." | 
