Valentine’s Day brings to mind many symbols of the season: cupids, candy hearts, chocolates – and vaginas.

“The Vagina Monologues” was performed Tuesday evening in The Maintenance Shop of the Memorial Union. The purpose of the show is to raise awareness of violence against women as well as celebrate women and their vaginas.

“I really liked the performance,” said Asale Hubbard, junior in psychology. “It was really moving, empowering and enjoyable.”

“The Vagina Monologues” is traditionally performed on or around Valentine’s Day.

“The play is a great way to reclaim Valentine’s Day, because so many people consider it to be a lonely holiday, especially if they are single, and it’s a holiday that should be celebrated,” said Mary McVay, junior in pre-advertising and a performer.

After performing her OBIE Award-winning play worldwide and listening to women tell their devastating stories of abuse, rape, incest and genital mutilation, Eve Ensler realized immediate action needed to be taken. In 1998, Ensler and a group of women in New York started V-Day. Ensler has spent her life working to stop violence in hope to one day live in a world free of violence against women.

According to the official V-Day Web site, www.vday.org, “the ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.” It also states V-Day is “a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations.”

V-Day encourages students worldwide to participate in their school’s campaign by organizing benefit productions of “The Vagina Monologues.”

“It’s cool to see people I know performing, and the V-Day events and the activities have raised a lot of money to support women and their safety,” said Natalie Grimm, senior in English.

First performed at Iowa State in 2001, then in 2006, “The Vagina Monologues” has now made its third appearance on campus. After first co-producing the show in 2001, performer Alissa Stoehr, graduate student in interdisciplinary studies, said participating makes her feel empowered. She appreciates seeing the amount of work put into bringing the show back to campus.

“One of the most empowering things a woman can do is celebrate her body. And, one way we can do this is talk about our vaginas – the one part of our body that is taboo,” Stoehr said.

The monologues are based on life experiences taken from interviews with women.

One skit, “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” performed by Sandra Zapata, senior in psychology, reflects the story of a woman who started her career as a lawyer but decided on a career change to something more pleasurable. She discovered an obsession with satisfying women and was able to begin charging for her services.

“I was 12. My Mother Slapped Me,” is a skit performed by Stoehr with Ashley Ransom, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies, Aly Peeler, sophomore in history, and Alyse Hurd, senior in chemistry. The skit exposed numerous experiences of women when they first began menstruating. Although sometimes comical, it revealed several instances in which girls encountered violence, humiliation or shame during this emotional event.

“The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could,” presented by Gia Mason, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies, revealed the story of a girl who began to view her vagina negatively as a small child. At age 16, after a lifetime of traumatizing experiences relating to her vagina, the girl’s pain halted in a sexual encounter with a beautiful 24-year-old woman who lived nearby. After this indescribable awakening, the girl learns independence in that she does not need a man for pleasure.

The show features more than 15 skits. These range in topic from sex, rape, sexual self-discovery, violence and – of course – vaginas. Other titles include “The Flood,” “The Vagina Workshop” and “Reclaiming Cunt.”

“Sometimes we forget about our vaginas, and having someone else talk about them empowers us to feel good about being a woman,” Zapata said.

“The Vagina Monologues” is a production that stresses the recognition of women and their vaginas. This production gives women a chance to speak freely about the experiences they have had with their vaginas and celebrate their womanhood. Penny Rice, director of Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, said, “if people are curious and hesitant to attend, I would encourage them to open their minds and hearts and come and experience a life-transforming experience.”

It will also be presented Thursday and Monday at 7 p.m. Performers are all ISU students or alumni. All proceeds go to the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support, the Ames women’s shelter. Tickets cost $10 for students and $12 for the general public, and can be purchased at the Memorial Union Main Desk.