Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
A Women-Led Movement That Banned Spitting In New York
If you lived in the early 20th century America, the leading cause of death in the country was not a heart attack, right? It wasn’t cardiac cardiovascular stuff. It wasn’t cancer. Instead, it was tuberculosis. Public health experts of the time were aware that spitting could function as a vector of contagion.
By Blessing Akpan5 years ago in Viva
The Memory of My Cancer Diagnosis Will Stay With Me Forever
I’d put off seeing my GP for weeks. Though I knew the lump was there, a large swelling on the inner side of my left breast, and had noticed it was growing at an alarming rate, I kept telling myself it was probably just an odd, but entirely benign cyst. At 38 years old, I was convinced I was too young to get breast cancer and, besides, apart from one great Aunt who died of the disease back in the late 1970s, there was no family history. No, I was just being paranoid, I decided. There was no way I wanted to risk showing up at my local GP surgery and being dismissed by the doctor as a silly, time-wasting hypochondriac.
By Jupiter Grant5 years ago in Viva
Women’s Role in a Male Dominated World
Being a woman in a male dominated world is not easy. Getting a job requires women to put in strenuous effort, whereas men can easily get a job. The workforce is never easy for a woman. Women have a hard time gaining access to jobs and communities that are traditionally male. When women do finally obtain these positions, they are typically perceived in a negative way. This statement is quite sad, but very true, and there are many different reasons as to why this is a woman’s reality.
By Shania Simmons5 years ago in Viva
How to Apply Eyeshadow
Are you looking for an easy beginner’s eyeshadow tutorial? Don’t have much time and don’t want to read like a billion word essay? OK, great! Let us guide you into your first steps of creating that flawless look whether you use cheap eyeshadow or more high end stuff like Laura Mercier Master Class Artistry In Light Illuminations Edition Makeup Palette
By Lee Roshan-Nahad5 years ago in Viva
Wrap It Wear It
I wear black. My color or lack of color by choice. Black t-shirt, black jeans, black leggings - black good to go. It’s not because of grieving or loss. It’s because it’s simple. People remark that I wear black. Why do you wear black? Do you always wear black? Anything in your closet besides black? What’s with the black?
By pamela mayer5 years ago in Viva
This is What Men Really Think about Strong, Independent Women
After writing an article about the dark side of being an independent woman, I got a lot of responses from men who shared their perspectives. From that article, I have been able to learn more about what men think about strong, independent women.
By Perfectmess5 years ago in Viva
British Nurse Edith Cavell Executed by German Firing Squad
British nurse Edith Cavell was working in occupied Belgium when she was executed by the Germans on October 12, 1915. Cavell admitted to harboring and helping Allied soldiers and men of military age to escape German forces. She was signing her death warrant. The American and Spanish Ambassadors made frantic attempts to save Edith, but they were not successful.
By Kathy Copeland Padden5 years ago in Viva
Could we find a better metaphor?
"We seldom think of conversation as commitment, but it is... Coping with a lifetime of change is a struggle, but through a lifetime of change we will only experience ourselves as full persons only to the degree that we allow ourselves that commitment to others which keeps us in creative dialogue." by Mwalimu Imara, in Dying as the Last Stage of Growth
By justine taylor5 years ago in Viva
No, Ladies-- You Are Not Responsible For Spelling Out Basic Boundaries In Order To Prevent Being Assaulted
I'm going on my first date (since before the pandemic) this weekend, and I'm having a lot of feelings about it. And not the feelings that I want to have.
By Bonnie Joy Sludikoff5 years ago in Viva
Shirley Chisholm, Catalyst of Change, Progressive Bad Ass
Before there was Hillary or Liz or Kamala, there was Congresswoman, civil rights activist, social reformer, and educator Shirley Chisholm. She broke through the formidable racial and gender barriers of the 1960s and 1970s and made it look easy.
By Kathy Copeland Padden5 years ago in Viva
Clap, Punch, Kick. Physical is a harsh lesson in internalised female misogyny and the conditioning of female self consciousness.
I must admit I had a very visceral response watching the first six episodes of Physical. I was quickly transported back to my early childhood where the punishing and restrictive mentality of personal athletic betterment was relentlessly pushed out into the popular culture zeitgeist of the late 80’s - early 90’s. An issue that hasn't left but quietly established itself as the norm of personal female self-empowerment. If, you are a millennial who was reared during this conception of dysmorphic, diet culture toxicity, watching this will be nothing short of an uncomfortable trip down memory lane and for everyone else it will serve as a confronting reminder that there is still a lot of work to do in challenging these beliefs.
By Madeline Kenzie5 years ago in Viva
