Vagina Monologues-developmentally appropriate?

Last weekend Luther students put on a production of the 'Vagina Monologues' sharing real stories about women all over the world and their thoughts on their bodies and sexual violence. How does this relate to Ed. psych? Well it got me thinking about developmentally appropriate material to teach in schools and also how much schools are willing to teach students about their bodies.

I really enjoyed Vagina Monologues but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than high school. The stories shared ranged from funny and comical to downright scary and unbelievable. I think that it might even be developmentally inappropriate for freshmen and sophomores in high school because they may be too immature. As a college student it really opened my eyes to some awful situations that women in other parts of the world are in solely because they are women.

I was also questioning whether this would be something that males should go to. When I went there were a handful of males in the crowd. I think that it would be appropriate for men to go to, but young men or adolescents- probably not. It would be beneficial for males to understand more about what is appropriate in relationships, but I'm sure they would feel awkward. Does that mean they shouldn't go, no, but if they go they should be mature enough to respond appropriately to what they see and hear.