A two-woman slam poetry act visited Penn State University Park to talk about everything from sexual assault on college campuses to race and gender inequality. Olivia Gatwood and Megan Falley make up the “Speak Like a Girl” duo. Gatwood said they start every performance on their current tour with this poem about women’s products and the impact women have on the economy:
“Studies predict that if women stopped buying cosmetic products and services, every economy in the world would collapse overnight. This is a call to collapse the economy. Let’s cover our scented tampons in hairspray, light them on fire, and throw them at Maybelline’s headquarters. Let’s take all our leftover lotions and soaps and make the world’s largest slip-n-slide down Capitol Hill...”
Gatwood and Falley aren’t necessarily trying to collapse the economy but rather prove to women they have more power than they think. Together the poetic duo jump from campus to campus, performing slam poetry from large stages to small classrooms.
“We like to open with it because we think its funny, which is a great draw for people,” Gatwood said. “It’s really good to let people feel like they can laugh immediately that’s a safe feeling. It’s vulgar, so it draws people in it give people a good sense of who we are and what we are doing. And I think its feminist, which is a nice kick off for the show.”
Gatwood and Falley’s poems are sometimes comical, but they also touch on serious topics such as gender equality, rape culture, body image, sexual orientation and even race.
The Penn State student poetry group W.O.R.D.S. brought the pair to Happy Valley. They performed for a lively crowd of around 300 Penn State students.
Penn State W.O.R.D.S. treasurer Meg McLaurin says she has been a fan of their work for a while and says it’s important to talk about these issues.
“I don’t think there is enough awareness of feminism on Penn State’s campus,” McLaurin said. “And just how feminism is really for everybody its not just for woman. I think that this show did a really great job of exemplifying that and showing just how great feminism is.”
Penn State Senior Stephanie Metzger said she was struck by how many woman in the audience related to what Gatwood and Falley were saying.
“I think that one part was really sad but powerful to see was when everybody was asked to raise their hands if they have been cat-called or felt unsafe,” said Metzger. “Every single girl in this room had their hands raised”
The duo reached beyond college campuses for material. Gatwood recited a powerful poem that dealt with the high percentage of sexual assault in the military:
“You are a liability, you are one step behind in the march. You are to many phone calls to your mother. You are loose boots, lazy shots and easy fix, and most of all you are a burden. You will be discharged early with the solute of a soldier and a stomach like knotted rope…”
Women weren’t the only ones fired up in the audience, men came out to show their support as well. Penn State student and W.O.R.D.S. member David Gaines says it’s important to talk about sexual assault. Penn State students get text messages and email alerts every time one is reported.
“We get a lot of emails for attempted rapes or sexual assaults on campus,” Gaines said. “That’s why ‘Speak Like a Girl’ was important for our campus now, because there are a lot of woman whose voices are being muted on campus.”
Although the two travel to many college campuses through the year, Falley says the Penn State show will be one of the more memorable ones because of the reaction from the audience.
“You know, that wasn’t just one of the best shows for us because every body was really excited,” Falley said, “but because when everybody is really excited we can get and match that level. So everyone here it was a very powerful show and well remember it for a longtime ”
“Speak like a Girl”will continue their tour through November.
