"The past is told by those who win. What matters is what hasn't been"--Jimmy Eat World

I recently saw The Vagina Monologues. Now for those of you out there who think this is an opening for a feminist rant then I'd hate to disappoint but it's not. I loved the play, I thought it was brilliant and hilarious but also had it's stumbles. To further increase the anxiety of listening to women talk about their vaginas for two hours I went with a male friend of mine. He was a good sport about the play though I could tell there were times when he was thoroughly uncomfortable, compounded by the fact that he doesn't have any sisters to help him understand the mystery that is women. So back to the beginning, I was watching the Vagina Monologues and for those who haven't seen the play it consist of 25 women acting different monologues about various women issues. One of the women was speaking and I was struck by her voice and trying to decide if she was American or not. This may sound silly to those who have never studied abroad but there are two major things that can make deciphering an American accent difficult. First of all, since I am constantly surrounded by varying accents my ears have come to accept each voice as its own without immediately trying to decipher the origin of the accent. Secondly, many international schools have American teachers and are attended by American children so it is entirely possible that someone can have an accent that on the surface seems American but in fact is not. So I asked my companion if the girl was American and he responded in the affirmative. He also mentioned that there was another American girl he had noticed at the beginning of the play. I quickly scanned the crowd of women and immediately my eyes fell on her. I can't explain what an American woman looks like unless you have spent a fair time in another country. I had heard English men speak of the beauty of American women but I was unsure on what they meant until I saw her. While the other young women sat non-chalantly in their seats waiting their turn, she sat on the edge of her seat, legs crossed with her arms carefully draped over her legs. She was completely self-possessed, confidant, and elegant. It reminded me of what one friend had said when I asked him why he liked American women. He said "their confidance" was number one. Watching this Amiercan woman I finally understood what my friend meant. Next to her all the English Women looked like children, constantly pulling at their waist coasts, unsure of what lay ahead. I quickly observed my own posture in my chair and wondered if I too held her stateliness. How American am I? That is a question I am trying to answer everyday.

"American girls are weather and noise, playing exchanges for all of the boys."-Counting Crows, American Girls