Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Empowering Strong Women
I'm 30 years old. I know exactly who I am. I am proud of all my accomplishments at my age. I have a beautiful house, car, daughter, and I'm retired. No one can ever tell me that I depend on a man. I have built my empire from the bottom upwards. I can say at the end of the day, I did all this on my own. No man should ever say shit, especially if they don't have their ducks in a row. Men have a hard time accepting a powerful and successful woman. I feel so fed up right now. I feel like at a point in life either you're going to add to my life or get the fuck out of my life. I will not settle for less than my happiness anymore.
By Natasha Doster8 years ago in Viva
The Scalpel That Changed It All
"Why didn't I bring my husband?" was the thought running through my head. My Dr. stared at me, waiting for me to respond. "Did you hear what I said? I am going to cut you from hip bone to hip bone to remove the tumor. The MRI shows that the tumor is growing in your abdomen wall. You will lose your belly button in the process. My colleague will then come and perform a tummy tuck and close you up. Do you understand?" I nodded my head, not trusting my voice.
By Nanette Tenpo8 years ago in Viva
Living with Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease that can affect women of all ages. Despite the fact that most people have never heard of it, one in ten women experiences endo. Many women go undiagnosed for years, only finding out that something is wrong when they can't have a baby. This article isn't meant to take the place of medical advice but to tell my own personal experience with endometriosis and how I have dealt with it.
By Jessica Purvis8 years ago in Viva
You Took My Innocence and With it My Control!
“Shh. Stop crying or someone will hear you!” She covered my mouth with her hand while her other hand remained on my breast. “If someone comes in here, I will beat you up!” I remained still and let my cousin’s hand roam over my 5-year-old breast and my private parts, the threat of her beating me up remaining in my head. I was terrified to scream, but I knew what she was doing to me was wrong and I had no control. She was ten years old and knew better.
By Nanette Tenpo8 years ago in Viva
Do You Love Yourself?
Do you ever wonder where body image issues stem from? It's just as common in men as it is in women. Wanting to be muscular, thin, beautiful. Is it from the magazines? MTV? For fuck's sake, the Kardashians? Why do we feel the need to impress everybody else to feel good in our own skin? Why do we think we need the attention? Some people blame being the middle child. Or not being hugged often enough. But I think the human brain is so much more complicated than that. It's about being true to yourself. Or, at least, I think it should be. We shouldn't have to wonder if these jeans make us look fat. Why does anyone care? And the end of the day, can you look in the mirror and honestly answer, "Do you love yourself?" Because if the answer is no, maybe you should start. Start taking the steps to love your body, your personality, your curves, or not? Maybe you’re reading this and wished you looked like me. Is that possible? Grass is always greener on the other side, I suppose.
By Abbey Nims8 years ago in Viva
Zero Tolerance
I was a late bloomer. This meant that while other girls were getting their periods, going on dates and talking with their friends about babies and sex, I was playing Legos with my younger cousins. I didn’t even get my period until I was 16-years-old, and though I had sex-ed many years before, in sixth grade, my memory of the things we talked about were hazy at best. I understood that babies came from sex, but I didn’t know the first thing about arousal, or masturbation, or sexual harassment.
By Eugena Lewis8 years ago in Viva
Desperately Seeking Mary Wollestonecraft
Attendant Worries Over Letting Go On the day that I, a single dad, dropped off my daughter on her first day of preschool, I was close to tears. It takes a lot. Now she is 16, and I had just watched her go off to do her thing with two friends. As they walk away I can only feel an echo of the first preschool day. It's a wordless concern about all of the things that could happen to my girl as she ventures off without me.
By H. Robert Mac8 years ago in Viva
An Open Letter to a Victim of Abuse
The word abuse is a very serious one and is not to be taken lightly. It usually takes an awful lot of courage to use it. Abuse is when a person repeatedly/regularly mistreats you. It is cruel, and can often involve manipulation, control, blackmail, etc. It is a misuse of power and ill treatment of a persons vulnerability. Often, the person being abused will end up feeling as though they are worthless, overreacting, stuck, and like there is nothing they can do. It is like you are the only one with a problem, and it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that you are the problem.
By Rebecca McPhillips8 years ago in Viva
Me Too
Honestly, I’m not sure how this is going to go. Yet, I know I need to get this out and keep moving forward. It was July 2016. My boyfriend of two weeks was coming over again and couldn't wait. I was 20 years old and I finally had my first boyfriend. I thought I was with someone who really cared for me. I still lived with my parents and that just made things awkward. He finally showed up and we decided to hop in the pool. It was a gorgeous day and there was no way I wasn't going to get my pool time in. My mom was coming and going from the backyard while doing yard work. She didn't like the guy at all and she made it very well known. I'm going to give this guy a different name just to play it safe. Roy was kissing me, totally awesome and I didn't see a problem. Eventually, my mom was out of the backyard for awhile and we were all alone. He kept forcing me to touch him even though I kept pulling away, afraid I was going to get caught. He then pinned me against the pool wall with me facing west, towards him. He began touching me and kissing my neck. On the inside, I was yelling and trying to break free. But on the outside, I was frozen as if I was a photograph. I only remember seeing the evergreen tree in front of me. He began grinding on me, causing large waves in the index quick set up pool. I remember trying to stop him from pushing aside my bikini bottom. He came closer to me and grabbed ahold of himself through this bottoms and teased until I felt him getting closer and closer to the opening. He began taking himself out when he heard my mom returning and quickly backed away from me.
By Stephanie Adolphi8 years ago in Viva
