Body Monologues, On Stage

Last night, I volunteered at (and later sat in the audience and watched) this show. I'm kind of obsessed with Body Monologues (BM), the charity behind the 'On Stage' show that took place last night. What is BM? Well, according to their website: Body monologues is a space for sharing and creating awareness and dialogue about our experiences in our bodies. It is about learning to take care of our bodies, learning to enjoy them, learning to appreciate them, and learning to honor them. It is about the journey from self hate and self abuse to self acceptance and self love. 

Image retrieved from the BM website

If you've ever seen the Vagina Monologues, BM is sort of similar. But not... Allow me to explain: First of all, they are REAL stories. Second, the monologues talk about much, much more than vaginas! Heck, at last night's show, a man presented his own body's monologue! There are stories about every body part you can think of. Third, the way in which the monologues are presented varies heavily. Some are sad, funny, accompanied by music, song, video, props, and/or dance. 

What I love most about BM is the bravery of those who present. They are so brave to share their personal struggles with complete strangers, and so, so brave to say what they are feeling out-loud. The power of talking out-loud about your body struggles is huge and can be incredibly healing. The performers must have completed a lot of personal reflection in order to reach a level of comfort within their body to be able to share their story.

If you have a body struggle and are not ready to share it on stage, in front of strangers (albeit incredibly supportive strangers!) and if you are not ready to talk about it to a friend, family member, colleague, doctor, or counselor, then I encourage you to at least journal about it. Expression of any kind, whether it be in text, art, movement, or spoken-word, is helpful in healing. It gets the struggle that may be buried deep within us, out to the surface, a place where it can more easily be released... to be let go. You could even try writing your own body monologue in private and maybe one day, at a future BM show, you'll be ready to share it!

For more information about Body Monologues, please check out their website.