Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
She Ain’t Pretty
She Ain’t Pretty (Thank god) Last night, I watched Beyonce’s Homecoming. I don’t know why; I’m not a huge fan or anything, but it’s good keep up with what the kids like. I like to be au current ["current" in French]. There is no denying she’s a goddess, a helluva performer. I hadn’t seen her much since the "Single Ladies" days, and her style has evolved. She still has a sassy strut and a stripper-esque krump, but now her and her bevy of back-up dancing girls have this rough, masculine thrust and jerk. “Suck my balls,” they chant as they do a manly double-arm crotch chop. Some of the moves—feet flexed, knees askew—were not coy, not sexy, not beguiling, but rather were aggressive and ugly. And I liked it. These "ladies" were not accessories, not there to titillate and tease, this was #metoo, owning their space and bodies, unapologetically with humour, defiance, and commanding attention.
By A.J. Roberts6 years ago in Viva
Women Are Strong as Hell
A friend of mine and I were talking about politics, social injustice, and a lot of other current events, and he asked me, "Why do women try to portray themselves as very strong? Why do they do so much? Are they trying to prove themselves? Do they feel as though they must prove themselves? I need to know." Now me being a male, I am, of course, the wrong person to ask those types of questions, but I'm glad he brought it up so I could tell him what I thought. Til this day, the matter is still circulating: "Do women still have to prove themselves?" Through statistics and many real-world workplace experiences, sadly, it seems the answer is yes. There are many stereotypes/cultural norms regarding women in the workplace that may even justify why women feel as if they're obligated to prove themselves more, stereotypes such as: They're less equipped and experienced than men in the workplace, or that they'll leave or become distracted at work for family reasons. There are some stereotypes outside the workplace, like women are just people with crazy mood swings who are also always on their period, they can't fight cause they're women and fragile, they're needy, or they can't amount to anything substantial. Through it, all women rise and defy the odds, and show that women are just as high, if not far greater than, the man next to them and so on.
By Isaiah Sevahn6 years ago in Viva
Taboo Is Not a Choice
There are certain topics that we often choose not to speak out loud in public. Usually, when we choose this way, sooner or later the topic floats on the surface and becomes public discussion. One of the taboo topics is abortion. This topic is very sensitive, and it has been unspoken for a very long time, due to many reasons. Consequently, there are many uncovered questions remaining. I will try to share my general experience, and look towards this specific topic and provide you with some maybe valuable information and recent statistics.
By Mariam Pagava6 years ago in Viva
Closing the Cultural Gap—Focusing on Similarities Rather than Differences
So for those that don't know, I am an Ismaili Muslim and, like the Christian concept of Sunday school, we have religious education on Saturdays. Now the teachers are expected to go through training to ensure that we teach the students facts and accurate information, rather than opinions or perspectives. However, when I went into this training I realized that there was a fault in the training itself. Within teaching the facts, we somehow twisted the perspective based on emotional bias. When I was pitted against the trainer and the other teachers trying to explain my perspective, I felt something inside of me shift. The perspective you teach the students, regardless of the intent, does impact their view and emotional outlook on life because your emotional outlook on life will end up showing.
By Bazal Morani6 years ago in Viva
The King and Queen Code / The Royal Code
We all know the girl code. Regardless if it was taught to us or we simply learned it as we grew up and heard "Don't you know the girl code?"or "It's part of the girl code." An internationally known code that was never written in stone, and never truly verbalized, but universally followed. And the girls that broke the girl code? Shunned and isolated. A code created to protect us from getting hurt or betrayed. One based on the ethics of the young girls that created it and followed it.
By Bazal Morani6 years ago in Viva
Bras
YES, you read it right. I am about to splurge all my words on ‘Bras’ in this one. WHY?... Really? Because it’s just a few months away from the world entering 2020, and India, ranks #2 in terms of world’s population with 48.2% females, yet is somehow not educated enough to take this issue up. We insist on shying away or simply not bothering to nudge this topic at all. And I hope my readers feel nothing but down right pride after... necessarily my folks.
By Shivani Singh6 years ago in Viva
Statues of Real Women
A few years ago it came to our attention that female statues of actual, real women who lived (have a name and birth date) were underrepresented compared to the men. The media coverage seem to be focused on New York City. I started researching the entire United States to see how many I could actually find.
By Paula C. Henderson6 years ago in Viva
Learning to Love All of You
I’ve struggled with my body image for years. Even when I was tiny I thought I was fat, but this is not a story about body image in the usual sense. It took a lot of years of breaking emotionally and mentally for me to finally figure out that my self image isn’t mine. I was molested when I was 3 years old, and from that point on, I never felt comfortable with my body. I remember I would never undress in front of anyone, and when my mom had to bathe me I felt filthy, unpleasant and unusual. I was a child with body image issues. I grew up this way and no one understood; instead, family members made fun of me for it... I finally told my mom about what had happened and I think I was 5 years old by then. She tried to hide her pain but I could see it in her eyes as she told her sister. There was a family meeting and true to patriarchy and the burden of family, she was told not to lay charges against my cousin who had done this to me. I was taken to a doctor to get checked up and I suppose I was alright physically, but mentally and emotionally, I’ve carried the shame and disgust of my own self from the moment it happened...
By Nompumelelo Makhubu6 years ago in Viva
10 Leadership Skills of Successful Women to Make Them Stand Out
A woman may often still have to prove herself a little more than a male counterpart and work harder to gain respect, but women who persevere make some of the best leaders. If you’re wondering what specific leadership skills successful women leaders have that make them stand out, here are ten skills they use effectively.
By Tiffany Harper6 years ago in Viva
