Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
The Rejection of the Individual in Progressive Discussion
On a typical day in 2018, the average person may be found doing the following: Over-watering their succulents, taking a questionable number of pictures of their cat, messaging their loved ones, worrying about their student loans, or partaking in a mutual debate with another person over the erratic state of current politics.
By Lauren Davis8 years ago in Viva
To the Young Girl with Resting Bitch Face
You’re fine. You’re not doing anything wrong, and there is nothing wrong with you. I know you know this now. It just makes sense, right? You smile when something makes you smile. You smile for pictures, you smile when your dad tickles your neck, and when your cousin goes ass over tin cups on the slip and slide. Seems easy enough. So easy that you don’t even have to think about it. That is, until the first person says to you, “Smile, Sweetie. You’re so much prettier when you smile.”
By Emily Fritz8 years ago in Viva
Social Justice Warriors and Narcissism—What Is the Connection?
When I first heard the term "Social Justice Warrior" (SJW), I thought it was a pretty cool name for an activist, until I realized there was a difference between an SJW and a social activist. I then learned that in this day and age, the terminologies for social change have expanded. We now have more labels than we know what to do with.
By Kate Quinn8 years ago in Viva
Will Beauty Save the World?
I spent the last decade working in the fashion industry as a model. And yet, I struggle to answer what exactly is beauty. Mainly because to me it is less and less about the physical as the time goes by. Yet as I try to explain this, not many will listen. Hardly surprising, since we are bombarded daily with the images of what is considered beautiful. Big eyes, full lips, small nose, pronounced cheekbones, slim waist, long legs - the list goes on. Barbie doll comes to mind- beautiful, but not real.
By Eva Smitte8 years ago in Viva
Things Women Are Expected to Do at Work But Shouldn't
Women are supposed to have perfect make up at the office, impeccable job wear, work full time, and stay at home to have children. If men had to do the things women are expected to do, this whole country would be turned upside down! Of course, thanks to toxic masculinity, men already are the ones turning this country upside down. Here are the things women have to do at work while doing all the things they have to do.
By Chica Reyass8 years ago in Viva
The Alchemy of PMDD
I was very inspired by a post I spotted recently on the Gia Allemand Foundation's Facebook page. A woman posted the question, "I'm wondering if anyone has found any beautiful things coming out of their PMDD experiences?" She went on to share how she was actively practicing gratitude when things were at their worst, and that this practice was giving her courage...
By Cheeky Minx8 years ago in Viva
Domestic Violence Is a Problem
Domestic violence. In those two words what do you think about? Is it the way a man hurts his woman? Or how he forces her to have sex with him? Choking? Screaming? Or simply your childhood? When those two words are spoken, most people think of how a woman is hurt. According to helpguide.org, "Not all domestic violence is on a woman. They also happen in same sex partnerships." Domestic violence is not something someone can just look over. You may find your "prince charming" but he's not all so perfect. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. You can be a loving wife but it doesn't matter to the assaulter. Domestic violence is a well known problem that people are very uninformed about. The domestic violence hotline calls have spiked 84 percent since the rice tape was publicly seen on September 8th.
By Annabelle Rager8 years ago in Viva
All Heterosexual Sex Is Rape
At first, I misunderstood the premise of Andrea Dworkin’s book, Intercourse, to mean heterosexual sex is rape. I fell into the trap of believing her critics without reading the book myself, but when I finally did read it, I was angry how reviewers misled the public into thinking she insisted all intercourse between a man and a woman is rape.
By Nancy Fingerhood8 years ago in Viva
Female Coaches Deserve a Chance Too
Where are all the female coaches at?! I can honestly say that I have never once as a competitive athlete had a female coach or administrator. The only female coach I ever had was when I was six years old and started playing recreational soccer. Although I have always been aware that the majority of my coaches were male, I had not stopped to consider the fact that most coaches are male and that I had not seen many females in coaching or administrative positions in the sport industry. I think this is incredibly sad and the worst part is that most people still don’t realize how uncommon it is for a female coach to be given the opportunity for success.
By Jaime Rodden8 years ago in Viva
Living in an Abusive Relationship
Let me tell you a story about love, which turned out to be the worst story of my life. It all began in winter 2015. I met this guy on social media; he is five years older than me. He seemed genuinely nice and was very much interested in me. The moment I met him was just when I was applying for university. But we still started to hang out. He even got my number from somewhere, which I found adorable. At this point we started dating. This was my first real relationship. I dated guys before for like a month or two, but I knew this time it was real. I was madly in love with him. And he was the proper gentleman - picking me up from school, cooking me dinner, making all these small romantic gestures. Everything was perfect for a couple of months, but then I got accepted at university that is four thousand kilometers away from home. So I had to leave in September for uni. This is when everything changed, he changed. He became extremely jealous of my girlfriends. He didn't let me go out with them. I was only allowed to go to uni and work. He used to get annoyed at me if I spoke to my mum for more than fifteen minutes. He hacked my Facebook profile and was reading all of my messages with my friends. He was determined that I was cheating on him, even though he knew where I was every single minute. Because of him, my first year of uni was horrendous - I didn't meet any new people, I didn't have fun with my friends, I only studied and worked.... and spent hours FaceTiming with him. He wanted to have the FaceTime on during the night just to make sure I didn't go anywhere without him knowing. Yet, I didn't leave him. I was stupid and madly in love.
By Nikoleta Koleva8 years ago in Viva
