Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
When Do We Have Informed Consent in Sex?
As conversations about consent continue to become more commonplace, more and more people are looking at sexual consent in new ways that they never have before. Consent is about more than just desire. We are constantly analyzing a number of factors, even subconsciously, to determine what our consent will be. Our answers may change based on the specifics of the situation or the person or people involved. Sometimes we consent to things and find out extra information after. This can be upsetting if we feel that information would have changed our choice before the activity. Being able to make an informed decision is an important piece of the consent process.
By Teela Hudak7 years ago in Viva
Collection of Thoughts
"There's a quite type of violence in the way women's talents are devalued and brushed aside in favor of bullying them into "traditional" roles that ultimately don't fulfill what they wanted for their lives. We’ve lost so much art, music, writing, science, and happiness to misogyny." "There are bugs that are literally split down the middle, half male and half female, worms and snails that have both sets of genitalia, fish that just up and switch sexes when there’s a male or female space in their group that needs filling and you want me to believe that God hates all sorts of gender-bending in his children. I think you need to take a better look at God’s creations." "Denounce gender roles but respect gender identity." "I used to cringe so hard at my “I’m not like other girls” phase until I realized that most girls have this phase and what we actually mean is “I’m not a thoughtless one-dimensional caricature of makeup and boobs” which is what girls have been taught to think. How can women be viewed so poorly that little girls everywhere all think they’re unique just for having independent thoughts and interests?" "Throughout history it has been a man’s job to provide... no throughout history men have actively prevented the independence of women, they have actively prevented our mobility, rights to an education, and livable income. They’ve abused our reproductive capability and passed us around like properties, they’ve used religion to rationalize their hatred of us, and to put us in place of subordination. So y’all can stop saying men are providers like it was some benevolent gesture in an attempt to rationalize sexism." "Your hurt feelings do not override my right to say no" "Women are not in charge of your feelings. If you can’t handle your emotions, that’s not our problem. It’s yours." "Notice how ‘“girls mature faster’” is never stated as a reason why girls should be given more positions of power and authority? It only works to hold girls to greater accountability than boys and to justify men’s attraction to them" "I disagree with the notion that women can’t handle the truth. Women handle the truth just fine. The problem is that you expect women to handle the truth in a way that still benefits you at her expense." "You can’t act like women are inherently suited for child care and should focus on being a stay-at-home-mom and then turn around and get mad about women being prioritized in custody. This is a system of misogyny upheld by men. You guys decided women exist to birth children and care for children. You don’t get to then blame these women for the laws based on a culture of misogyny that you men create and perpetuate." "‘Slut’ is attacking women for their right to say yes ‘Friend zone’ is attacking women for their right to say no And ‘Bitch’ is attacking women for their right to call you out on it" "Going out doesn’t make you a bad person just like going to church doesn’t make you a good person" - Miley Cyrus "Me addressing racism and violence against women shouldn’t make you uncomfortable" Racism and violence against women should make you uncomfortable” "Dressing older isn’t an excuse for older men to prey on younger girls" "Being socialized female is easily recognized as abuse the moment it is done to a male child" "We don’t want men to lower themselves, we just want them to make room for us" "You can’t demand a service while simultaneously degrading those who provide it for you" "Women are expected to change for men. If you don’t want to have children ever then someone is bound to say to you well what if your husband wants children? We’re expected to lose weight, to dress a certain way to appeal to men, we’re expected to be less opinionated, less assertive, less talented when competing against a man." "When a women is violent, men use that to discredit the whole feminist movement and paint us as aggressive and abusive but when millions of men are violent we cant make generalizations" "There is female violence but do you know what sets it apart from male violence? It’s not a pandemic, it’s a rarity You cannot compare the entire history of men raping and pillaging and murdering and enslaving women to the minor blips on the scale that is female violence" " I think what bothers me so much about the “feminist are ugly” “ feminist are hairy” or “feminist are lesbians” stereotype is the so fucking what some of us are ugly some of us are hair some of us are lesbians and it shouldn’t invalidate anything we’re telling you." "Men get raped and molested” should be a whole sentence. If you have to tack on the word ‘too,’ then you’re using the experience of male victims to silence female instead of giving them their own space" "Not all men!’” - yes but enough men that every girl is terrified of smiling to that guy on the bus or talking with the boy in the coffee shop. Every girl has been walking late at night at one point and been afraid of who might be following her. Every girl has referred to someone as a “creep” and every girl has refused a drink from someone she doesn’t know. But enough men that all women are now afraid of most men it’s gotten so bad that we have to be afraid of even telling you we are afraid. We can’t ask you to please stop talking to us because if we do we run the risk if being labeled a “stuck up bitch” and blamed for murders and rapes in which we are the victims so we speaker to you with body language that we hope you’ll understand but you insist on ignoring those signs because you have it in your head that our body language doesn’t mean anything and that our bodies aren’t our bodies."
By Selena Vazquez7 years ago in Viva
My Story Begins
I am not sure of writing the story of my life and to let it be known. What I am sure is that the only way to liberate myself of this internal jail is through forgiveness. I also know that my first language is not English, however this is a universal language that most of the people in the world speak and I would like my story to be shared with everyone. I would try to give my best.
By Sally Storton7 years ago in Viva
PMDD: Out from Under the Magnifying Glass
Living with PMDD is like being placed under a powerful magnifying glass. Beneath the glass, one can see how our thoughts betray us, drawing the thick veils of illusion across our eyes. We don’t see anything quite as it really is, but through a darkened lens of paranoia, self-hatred, and confusion. Beneath the glass, we can see the closing of the heart that would otherwise allow us to both give and receive love, not just from those closest to us, but from all sources. Beneath the glass, we can see quite clearly the burning fires of our attachments and aversions. We become anxious and afraid of what we could normally be able to regulate. When we are in the throes of PMDD, all the ways in which every human being struggles and suffers, regardless of sex, age, race, or culture is exaggerated through us. In essence, PMDD magnifies the human condition, for us and all the world to see.
By Cheeky Minx7 years ago in Viva
Cleopatra the Great: Why Cleopatra Was the Smartest and Most Intelligent Ruler of Egypt
Cleopatra. Name brings up many words: seductress, selfish, mistress, harlot, and many other negative words. What about smart or great ruler? Yes, she might have died without insuring her country's independence, but she did all she could to try to accomplish it. She was wickedly intelligent and knew how to use her feminine ways to get what she wanted. If Caesar had not died she could have accomplished all she wanted for herself and for her people. Cleopatra was truly one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt. She had the makings of a great world conqueror and general, always thinking ahead, knowing her opponent, and being intelligible. And as said in The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time “it was both her desire and ambition that made her the Queen of Kings.”
By Catherine Agati7 years ago in Viva
Self-Care Tips for the Busy Women
No matter who you are, man or woman, we all need to find time to take care of ourselves properly. Men and women need completely different things in order to maintain their health, and it happens to be women who need to pay a lot more attention as opposed to men. This article will help you understand where you need to begin and what you should focus on in your life.
By Paisley Hansen7 years ago in Viva
Beach Bag Essentials for a Stress-Free Girls Trip. Top Story - July 2019. Created with: INTIMINA.
Summer is here, and that means it’s time to go to the beach. Everyone loves that wonderful ocean smell, the way the sand feels between your toes, and the warm sun-kissed glow a day at the beach gives your skin. Beach-going is glamorous, fun, and a perennially summer thing to do. I mean, who doesn’t love sipping drinks near the sea?
By Mackenzie Z. Kennedy7 years ago in Viva
Self-Defense Hacks Every Woman Should Know
There are many experiences women face daily that men will never understand: walking through the parking lot and worrying about the stranger following you, feeling uneasy as you get out of the car and have to walk a block alone, noticing someone eyeing you up in the grocery store and waiting for them to leave first so they don't know what car you drive.
By Paisley Hansen7 years ago in Viva
The Perfect Model
Most of the modeling industry has strict appearance rules, which most people don't check the box for. But by it being 2019, many models are defying the odds and showing the world that it is okay to be "different" from other models and to accept what makes you stand out.
By Dar'Jae Shyree7 years ago in Viva
