Actresses for The Vagina Monologues practice for their performance at a dress rehearsal Saturday morning in Plemmons Student Union. Olivia Wilkes | The Appalachian

Appalachian State University's Women's Center will host its annual presentation of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues" this weekend, Thursday through Saturday in Plemmons Student Union's Grandfather Mountain Ballroom.

The monologues - written by playwright and feminist activist Ensler in 1996 - have become a way to highlight and address discrimination and violence against women.

Senior art major Susan Mackey, a volunteer at the center, said students should attend because everyone has some connection with this particular part of the human anatomy.

"Either you're a man and you love vaginas, or you're a woman who loves vaginas, or you're a woman who has a vagina," Mackey said. "Those people love vaginas. Or even if you don't fit into that, we all came from a vagina. So honor the vagina, because we all came from one."

This year's event, titled "For My Sisters in Portauprincebukavu-neworleans," will highlight areas that have recently suffered from natural disasters or political turmoil - as well as areas where women have been misrepresented.

The monologues cover a range of topics, from pubic hair to rape, Mackey said.

They also serve as a way to reclaim the word "vagina," said Shelby Forsyth, a webmaster and volunteer with the center.

"Going to a show that emphasizes vaginas so much kind of takes the shock value - or the fact that it's downplayed in regular society - takes that out of it," Forsyth said. "It makes it okay to say."

And despite any misconceptions, the monologues are not a form of "man-hating," said Tami Gorodetzer, a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major and the event's financial producer.

"Last year, we actually had a bunch of guys come to the show," Gorodetzer said. "There is not a single monologue about man-hating. There's actually one monologue that's all about the praise of a man and how he treated his woman. A lot of guys go into it with the wrong idea, but it is definitely for everyone. Go into it with an open mind."

The event will operate as an extension of V-Day, a national campaign through which local volunteers and various college campuses present the Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funding for anti-violence groups.

At Appalachian, the funds will be divided between OASIS and Ashe and Avery County Safehouses, both of which provide services for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Additionally, 10 percent of funds will go back to the V-Day Campaign.

Last year, the event generated $8,000 - more than twice the funds raised in 2010.

Tickets can be purchased for $7 in advance at the Plemmons Student Union Information Desk or for $10 at the door.

Story: EMMALEE ZUPO, Senior Lifestyles Reporter
Photo: OLIVIA WILKES, Photo Editor