Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Viva.

Body Love
I remember waking up one morning, wearing nothing but a long t-shirt and panties, my hair curly and wild from tossing and turning all night. My face was nude, with nothing covering up my slight blemishes and mild redness that forever colors my cheeks.
By Carmen Marshall7 years ago in Viva
Yes, I Draw Nudes
I had the brilliant and not-so-smart idea of putting "I draw nudes" on my Tinder's bio. I know, I know. Tinder is perhaps not the best place to find the love of your life, but in my defense it was some of my friends who created it, saying, I quote, that I "needed some fun in my life"—but this story is for another time.
By L K7 years ago in Viva
Girls Who Rival Girls
So, what's the deal with girls trying to rival other girls? I don't mean that question to be entirely rhetorical, I'm genuinely curious. I've never understood the whole "I don't like you, so I'm going to be passive aggressive towards you and give you backhanded remarks, but still act like I'm nice so when you call me out I can act confused and say 'I've been nothing but nice to you!'" logic.
By Jamie Stokes7 years ago in Viva
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
“Competition between women has been made part of the beauty myth so that women will be divided from one another”—Naomi Wolfe, Beauty Myth (p.14).
By Kellion K7 years ago in Viva
The Daily Power Struggle of Women in Social Media
As shareholders of the unstoppable mass media growth of the 21st century, women have taken an unprecedented rise in reputation, voice, and influence. Since the early days, women have achieved a great contribution to mass communications, yet the way we are represented has long been a topic of contention, question, and debate. With the influence of such a powerful force as modern media, many have raised concern over the way women are presented and how their influence shapes society.
By Andromeda Gallarini7 years ago in Viva
Will You Change Your Name?
When you get married, should you change your name? Will it be assumed that this article is aimed at female readers? I hope not.
By Elle Exxe7 years ago in Viva
If These Forms Could Talk...
Kristen Roupenian’s short story "Cat Person" published in The New Yorker has gained a lot of notoriety, and for good reason. Besides its immediately evident relatability, particularly to Millennials, it is not a very explicit work. This naturally draws out flocks of self-taught literary critics that archive blog posts recounting easily-digestible interpretations about “what 'Cat Person' does for feminism.” Not to say that no one has deconstructed "Cat Person" in a non-feminist lens, but there is undeniably a large pocket of criticisms working at this angle. However, these types of readings are not only narrow in scope, but sloppy. Form is largely ignored, despite it having just as much to say as the explicit narrative. Roupenian very slyly subverts and combines them to make her larger overall point: a reflection on how millennials now date and interact.
By Nadine Pothier7 years ago in Viva
Endometriosis: A Story About My Ectopic Pregnancy
I was about 16 years old when I first heard the word "Endometriosis". The pain I experienced on a daily basis was odd and unexplainable. This was the early 2000s and internet access wasn't something easy to come by. Any research was mostly done using a medical journal, encyclopedias and sometimes by fighting with a sibling for the family computer.
By Crystal Nicole7 years ago in Viva
How Three Women Became the Bad-Ass CEOs They Are Today
Who: Rachel Parcell, the 26-year-old Founder of the Blog Pink Peonies and Her Own Fashion Line Who Has Racked in Over $1 million in Sales to the Nordstrom
By non non7 years ago in Viva
Can a Woman Be Happy Without Children?
I've written in previous articles about my views on motherhood. Since a child, I always wanted a little baby to take care of. This is part of the reason I was a bit overbearing when it came to raising my brother. I would treat him as my own child and chastise him, leading to me getting a talk about how I am not the mother. As I have grown and developed, the thought of childhood keeps getting pushed farther back. I'm always on the fence; do I want a baby or not?
By Ashlyn Harper7 years ago in Viva
Psych and Prejudice
There are countless moments while watching media where double standards run rampant. On any episode of House, there's a crack made by Dr. House about how Cuddy has her "assets" on display and that that is not what a Dean of Medicine should look like, to which she asks if it is because she is a woman in power. On the sports channels, there are debates over whether or not Serena Williams' behavior recently was justified and if a man had done those things, would they have been penalized for it. Our society seems to run on these double standards: remnants of years and years of social protocol that has since been deemed unnecessary, but the feelings of when someone does not adhere to them still stay.
By Abby W7 years ago in Viva
No Thank You Leggings
I realized today that it isn’t so much that I hate all of those weird-ass leggings out there, but that I actually hate the lower half of my body and the leggings just remind me of that fact.
By Corinne Squires7 years ago in Viva