The word “panza,” meaning “belly,” is the cause of many insecurities and drastic measures women take to be thin. “The Panza Monologues” is a performance based on women’s stories about their panzas, which reveal the truth about them.
The women in the La Raza Student Association and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Student Association brought “The Panza Monologues” to Cal State Long Beach.
“Weight is a big issue,” said Lizeth Zepeda, a women’s, gender and sexuality studies major and monologues organizer. “We are always told how to look by the media. Even our mothers tell us to be skinnier.”
The members of both La Raza and WGSSSA seek to empower and boost the self-esteem of women at CSULB.
“We want to show ‘The Panza Monologues’ for women to express themselves and feel happy with their bodies,” said Audrey Silvestre, women’s, gender and sexuality studies major and event organizer. “Instead of trying to cover up their ‘imperfections,’ we want to show it off and talk about the stories behind our panzas.”
The monologues are being performed by 15 women from various student organizations. Monologue titles include “From Cha Cha to Panza,” “A Hunger for Justice,” “Panza to Panza,” “Political Panza” and “Panza Girl Manifesto.”
“I saw it as an opportunity to be bold, open and not so self-conscious through performing — something I have never done,” said Erika Flores, Chicano/Latino studies major and the performer of “Political Panza.”
The monologues were written, compiled and originally performed by Virginia Grise and Irma Mayorga.
The performance is a fundraiser for a Chicana feminism conference, which will be held March 18-20 and is being planned by the two campus organizations. The purpose of the conference is to reclaim Chicana history. It will focus on Las Hijas de Cuauhtémoc, a group of female students in the ’70s that created a newsletter on Chicana feminist issues at CSULB.
“The Panza Monologues” will be performed in Spanish and English. Tickets are $7 pre-sale and $10 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance starts at 7 p.m. Dec. 4-5 at the Beach Auditorium.