Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
What Does it Mean, to Me, to Be a Feminist?
What does it mean, to me, to be a feminist? I brought my cat to the vet this week because she’s taken to peeing in the house. Worse than that, it was clear that there was blood in her urine. She wasn’t just peeing in the house to be a little snit. She was telling me that she wasn’t well and she was asking for help the only way she knew how.
By Katey Myers8 years ago in Viva
Child Marriage
This is a speech I wrote and delivered for an audience of 14/15-year-old girls and boys: Could you imagine being married in the next three years? Could you imagine being forced to be married in the next three years? Well, 28 girls every minute live this reality. Girls Not Brides aims to stop child marriage for boys and girls by campaigning to raise the legal age for marriage to 18.
By Isabella Johnson8 years ago in Viva
Going Braless
Bras are uncomfortable, sweaty, expensive, and unhealthy for people to wear. So why do so many people go every day with one? They don't actually seem to provide any benefit aside from hiding your perky nipples from the outside world. At least to me, that is.
By Blop Kitsune8 years ago in Viva
Beauty Pageants: Inspiring or Degrading?
Imagine a six-year-old girl. Perhaps she’s your daughter, or your niece, or even just a stranger. She sits in a chair for hours, getting layers and layers of makeup put on, completely changing how she looks, and even gets a spray tan, changing the color of her skin. She wears fake eyelashes and bleaches her teeth. This little girl is completely changed to look like a mini-adult, for people to judge whether or not she fits a mold they themselves created of how a child should look, looking nothing like herself.
By Shannon Butler8 years ago in Viva
My Empowerment Kick
Something has been on my mind for a few days now. I don’t know how to articulate it, but this is me attempting to. I have been single for some time now, and while I consider myself to be a “relationship person,” I think I am finally starting to get a full grasp on myself and what I believe.
By Quinn Chapman8 years ago in Viva
Let's Take a Moment to Talk about Marion Zimmer Bradley
Nearly ten years ago, a book was put into my hands, as it was for thousands of other women before me; a beautiful work of fiction that would become a beacon of inspiration for many women walking a different spiritual path. It was a massive text that told the story of King Arthur, his queen, his knights, and his sister. This story was different though. Arthur wasn't the focus. Instead, his sister Morgaine was the focus and her path of spirituality. Arthur was merely a pawn. Morgaine had the focus and discipline we all craved to be dedicated to our faith. She was brutally honest about her struggles and strife. She was a heroine that we felt connected to because she had so many traits and personality quirks we could all relate to. The way the author, a stand out woman at a time when men dominated all industries, created a new world based on both history and fantasy captured all our minds, and had the power to rekindle our faith in a new way. Then, in 2014, Bradley's daughter had some things to say about her mother that rocked us all.
By Diane Nivens8 years ago in Viva
Femaleconomics and Politics in the Middle East
The role of women in the Middle East has long been a talking point among politicians, activists, men, and, of course, women in the West. Women's inability to drive in Saudi Arabia coupled with astronomically high female unemployment across the region due to political and social restrictions has been met with ire from countries that delve inward and question why the situation has not radically changed in the 21st century. Many hurry to crucify Islam for the sins of the Middle East and oftentimes gloss over socio-political variables that shaped the landscape of the region throughout history.
By Darragh Joyce8 years ago in Viva
#MeToo Is About You, Too
There were times in the past that I was sympathetic to the cries of “Not All Men,” but after a while I’d seen and heard enough to feel like it actually was All Men. It wasn’t in overt harassment, or openly sexist comments, but the accumulation of so many little things, the “microaggressions.” But after a while of putting up with the stereotypes, assumptions, and being treated as “less than,” they started to feel a lot like the regular old macroaggressions. It was everywhere. And worse, when confronted with information that suggested they—gasp!—might be in the wrong, the Not All Men were deeply offended and incredulous that we could possibly have interpreted their innocent behaviour as sexism. Just like the person who thinks it’s worse to be accused of racism that it is to actually be racist, we end up in a never-ending cycle of complaining and then having to deal with the tantrums and denial caused by the complaint. Well #MeToo has given us the opportunity to say “No More.”
By Katy Preen8 years ago in Viva
Why Being a Man Is Not an Excuse Anymore
I recently read Andrew Sullivan’s article for NY Mag entitled, “#MeToo and the Taboo Topic of Nature” and I have to say, I’m more than a little pissed. I found this article after reading an incredible piece by Lili Loofbourow reacting to this inane “men will be men because it’s in their nature to be aggressive” column coming from Sullivan.
By Lizzie Kreitman8 years ago in Viva
