Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
The Toll Of Period Poverty Throughout Covid-19
Many campaigners are pushing to overcome the financial barrier between girls and menstruation. Let’s take a closer look at what we mean by ‘period poverty’, the impact of Covid-19, and what we can do to alleviate the financial strain that many women are facing.
By Caitlin Purvis5 years ago in Viva
A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini – Book Summary: A Story Of Female Friendship And Sacrifice
If you are looking for a book that makes you wail, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is it. I had heard many things about Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner, but I wanted to begin with his second one. And I didn’t regret it at all.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Viva
We Need More Diversity in the Room Where It Happens
We all saw it, even though it’s since been taken down. The “greatest of all time” image posted by ESPN’s SportsCenter represents how decisions made by the powers that be are so often done using only their own perspective.
By Julie Thompson5 years ago in Viva
Behind the Pretty Face
Do we really take a pretty face for face value or do we truly feel the soul behind it ? I have always carried myself as if, just because I am pretty does not mean I deserved more nor do I play ignorant to the blatant perks its gets in the real world. There are things we honestly have no control over like peoples perceptive of beauty or have the ability to turn our natural beauty on and off on command ( Lets get real here people , WE AREN'T ROBOTS). But we have still manage to create these warped emotions around the pain , the weight, the COST, and thats just to name a few. Lets be honest being "Pretty" is a full time LIFE commitment some of us don't sign up for and some don't really understand it once their in it. The strive to "Pretty" never stops for some people , some take to their grave that they will never be "pretty" enough. ummm, honestly What is Pretty ? Does it come with armor ? Can I Lock it away and collect later on its interest ? But lets not just focus on the word pretty itself , like why do I care if you think I am "attractive" in your Perceptive? Can you swallow the pain it hidden behind that face on a daily? Can you listen to society or social media perception of pretty and still feel whole ? Does Pretty Mean Strong ? I have so many questions. Constantly pushing our personal agendas to define our definition of "Pretty" for ourselves and everyone around us. All that hard work to still not completely be content and happy, WHEW CHILEEE im tireddddd for me and you. Self Love is the BEST defense against self hate ( this truly could be a solve all remedy for you it helps , SO TRY IT ) but what about the person who is naturally pretty, moved on from the phase of caring about anyones perception of them, just simply living their lives unproblematic but find them selves facing a whole different set of warped turmoil behind being "pretty" ? Did you know there are people with a fear attached to being perceived as too "pretty" ? What about having anxiety when your in public because you feel everyone is looking at you whether you on worst or best day? What about the people who turns their attractiveness for a profit either by need or choice? To have to wonder how to make your self not attractive to certain people or crowds or anyone but your DOMINANT partner . hmm suddenly being pretty doesn't sound so fun. What about the people who live with more than one perspective, or some other combination of the madness? Being attractive comes with some heavy weight but that doesn't deter people for striving for it and we never really understand another preceptive of it until we are in it with them. So to be able to answer that question I would be here all day because I am a pretty face and its my personal invisibility cloak. Imagine being pretty enough to catch the hallow attention of people without them ever really knowing you for anything but a pretty face. Yes I am attractive but I am so much more. I hide so much behind this face that often I forget when to drop the act. My Beauty has caused me love , pain , and everything in between, all for the sake to have some one tell me they find my well prepared and thoughtfully planned facade attractive. Suddenly your compliment doesn't merely add up to the perplex I already feel around my attractiveness. I know I would trade being attractive for a trillion different things does that make me sound crazy ? I wear this face EVERYDAY and everyday I can find new things to love , hate , and even ignore all together. But who will completely understand the soul under the pretty face?
By Monique Jackson5 years ago in Viva
Movie Review: 'Burn it All'
“Why are you so angry?” “Calm down” “Why are women are so emotional?” These are just a few of the trigger phrases for women that have persisted through the years. Insecure and clueless members of the male gender have used these phrases to deflect the feelings of women since time immemorial. The new action-suspense thriller, Burn it All uses the tropes of the thriller genre to show a woman who is just over it. She’s over the patriarchy, she’s over being talked down to, and she’s just over the misogyny of men in general.
By Sean Patrick5 years ago in Viva
MEET SHARON MCDOUGLE
McDougle began her career in the Crew Escape Equipment (CEE) Department as a suit technician responsible for processing the orange launch and re-entry pressure suit assemblies worn by all NASA space shuttle astronauts. She was one of only two women CEE Suit Technicians and the only Black technician when she began her career.
By Tammy Reese5 years ago in Viva
3 Obscure Modern Classic Novels by Women
Perhaps you have noticed the new style of article I am testing out here. Lists of three. I began with lists of five, but I felt that I was going on for way too long. Three seems like a nice way to test if you want to read more into a certain topic, doesn't it?
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Viva
3 Great Female Characters from Obscure Modern Classics
Women have always been sidelined in modern literature - especially that of the 20th century which actually seems more male-dominated than you actually think it was. From the poets of the 1930s writing about the horrors of the Great Depression to the writers of the experience of the Second World War. It has all been orientated on the male experience. There have been, in between, the experiences of women. But we do have to go hunting for them.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Viva
