Consortium of Undergraduate Women kicks off Women's Week

This week, women will steal the spotlight on Penn’s campus.

The Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women’s annual Women’s Week kicked off Sunday afternoon with a lunch social hosted by the Penn Women’s Center.

Women’s Week 2012, which is themed “Celebrating Herstory,” will include a variety of events like discussion panels, performances by the Penn Monologues and the Vagina Monologues and keynote speeches addressing issues related to women’s health as well as women’s rights.

“The theme of ‘Herstory’ arose through our conversations as a group,” explained College senior and PCUW Chair Meg Hlousek. The theme was selected because it conveys what happens to women at Penn “on an individual and collective level.”

“Herstory” is a theme which, according to Hlousek, will allow Penn to celebrate “histories of feminism and where we hope to carry our legacy. We want to speak to as many people as possible … and [discuss] what we can do for gender equity in the future.”

“There are so many great things women do in the wider Philadelphia community, but we don’t celebrate their stories enough,” College junior and PCUW Vice Chair of University Relations Adrienne Edwards added.

In line with the Women’s Center’s theme of reproductive justice this year, the second day of Women’s Week will feature a workshop on reproductive health and justice, Edwards said.

“I’m looking forward to the workshop because … it’s not a topic people, including myself, usually delve into around campus.”

Among this week’s special guests is keynote speaker and Enlightened Sexism author Susan Douglas, who will be discussing issues of gender equality, feminism and the media on Wednesday.

There will also be a number of performances throughout the week, including one from performing artist and LGBT-rights political activist Staceyann Chin.

Women’s Week 2012 will also mark the first time in which the Penn Monologues — a production created to address sexual taboos on campus — will lead a discussion incorporated into Women’s Week.

The week will conclude with performances on Friday and Saturday by the Vagina Monologues. Women’s Week, particularly in light of the Vagina Monologues, is all about raising awareness, according to College senior and Vagina Monologues cast member Celia Harrison.

“A woman’s role in society and how she is perceived by society is a two-way relationship. It’s important for both men and women to be exposed to the greater message,” she said. “The monologues make it okay to talk about vaginas. They touch on a subject that makes people uncomfortable, bringing equality out to the forefront.”

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