Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
#MeToo Isn't Enough
#MeToo Isn’t Enough. On October 5, 2017, the New York Times published a story about decades of allegations against a powerful Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein. Some of the accusations included women stating that they were forced to massage him and watch him while he was nude. If that wasn’t bad enough, he also offered to advance Hollywood careers in exchange for sexual behaviors. The victims include Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd. On the same day that this story broke, Weinstein issued the following paraphrased apology:
By Eadlyen Greenwood8 years ago in Viva
The Subject Taking Over the Media Right Now...Consent
All I hear about on the news right now is this person got accused of sexual misconduct or this person got fired for allegations of misconduct and we have all seen the #metoo all over social media. One thing I have not heard much about with this uproar is when consent needs to be applied. The answer is always! It doesn't matter if you have known a person for years, or you just met them or if you're in a relationship with this person or even if you're married to them, consent needs to be given every time, no matter what.
By Zinnia Cosmo8 years ago in Viva
Judge Dismisses 'Modern Family' Star Sofia Vergara's Frozen Embryos Lawsuit
After over two years of litigation and a battle that began in May 2014, a Louisiana judge has dismissed the case between Modern Family actress, Sofia Vergara, and her ex-fiancé, Nick Loeb. The former couple have been battling over the fate of two female embryos created during in IVF procedure while they were still together. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the judge indicated that the Louisiana court had no jurisdiction over citizens not residents of the state (the judge referred to the embryos as "citizens of California"). If Loeb decides to continue the battle, he would need to file suit in California, where he and Vergara are currently residents.
By Rachel Carrington8 years ago in Viva
Reel Cover Girl
Does art imitate life or life imitate art? As a young minority woman growing up in a time when we are constantly bombarded with corporate advertisements and political campaigns in our media, I find it necessary to express true life in a way that not only educates the masses but informs them as well. My passion is to use film as an art form to express life. By taking the path as a Documentary Filmmaker, I am possibly able to answer this age-old question, while exposing the messages of the people and subjects that are often unheard.
By Fatimah Jawad8 years ago in Viva
Holistic Behavior
Women's roles in the world have always seemed to be somewhat straying from the line of equal representation when compared to men. They attend the same colleges, work the same jobs, yet somehow they are degraded into being sex objects and thought of as lesser than equal beings. They are seen as inferior due to their femininity, especially when represented in the media. For a country that supports the phrase all are equal under God, America seems to be doing a great job of turning a blind eye to the sociological prejudices placed upon women.
By Kourtney Bartholomew8 years ago in Viva
Does He Really Hear Me?
Fourteen and innocent, life was never easy. From raising my younger brother, to managing bills, dinner, and basically any wifely/motherly duties, life for me as a 14-year-old girl was from far from average. Being raised in a "God fearing" family I knew in my mind that the way I lived wasn't normal, or right. But still I said nothing. His voice in my mind with that heart wrenching threat that I swore at the time I would take to the grave. Everyone around me could see the issues but wouldn't dare ask questions because they too feared what might come from questioning his "intentions."
By Whitney Owens8 years ago in Viva
Rose McGowan Shaved Her Head As A Battlecry Against Sexism In Hollywood
Rose McGowan has long been a voice for feminism in Hollywood and for women everywhere. With the upcoming release of her memoir, Brave, the Charmed actress revealed why she's rebelling against the "ideal version of a woman."
By Rachel Carrington8 years ago in Viva
New Meaning to the Term "Daddy's Girl"
As a kid, I was told I talk too much, so I shut up. Then I was told that I didn't speak up enough, so I started talking again. This cycle went on for a while until I decided for myself what I wanted. I got brave and bold after puberty hit around 12 years old and I was always speaking my piece. Thing is, as much as I talk, no one seems aware of how much I see and hear too. I am very observant and the one thing I have observed is the large amount of young women clearly raised by their mothers with very little paternal interaction.
By Kendria White8 years ago in Viva
We Need to Face Uncomfortable Truths. Top Story - November 2017.
Dear Male Reader, I have a question for you: Why do you hate me? Sometimes I feel like everyone hates me because they keep saying it was my fault. My fault for having decided to go out alone, or my fault for the length of the skirt I decided to wear, or even my fault for that one too many drinks I had. The blame is even worse if what happened to me was done by my intimate partner (being him a boyfriend or a husband). That's due to this weird "common sense" understanding that if I agreed to be in a relationship with that man, I automatically deserve everything that comes out of it, after all, it was my choice. Please, I can't understand, why do you hate me? Why am I to blame if it I wasn't the one to perpetrate the assault? Just stop and reflect for a moment, how can it be my choice to be sexually violated? My choices regarding personal fashion, alcohol consumption habits, and social circles are not synonymous with choosing to be harassed. No one ever put that power in my hands. But you male reader, like to put the fault on my shoulders when the ugly truth is that the only choice that mattered on the occasion of the violence I suffered was that of the man who did it. He was the only one who chose when and how would he abuse me. And I'm sorry to say it male reader, but you are the one who gave him that power. Because you as a part of our current social structure constantly reinforce that I, as a woman, am the frail sex but contradictorily you lash out with so much judgment when I am weak and vulnerable. Isn't that exactly how you want me to be? The damsel in distress is the role that is forced upon me. You must understand that even though it's very entertaining to play as the male hero in a video game going on a quest to save the princess, this brings the exact opposite of safety to real women. Because malicious men take advantage of our vulnerability, being it emotional or physical, to say an extremely invasive and inconvenient comment about our bodies, to grab our butts at a party, to decoy us of a cab ride home once we're tipsy, to shove us into a dark corner, to force us into unwanted sexual acts in our own homes. And they feel like they have the authority to do all these dreadful things because our pop culture is unceasingly putting us in a role of utmost submission. We DID NOT choose for such things to happen to us! So I ask you: why has the word "molested" become synonymous to "dirty"? Why is it me that has to live in shame with the label "raped" stamped on my forehead, when no one even mentions my aggressor? Moreover, why do you never allow me to speak about it? You need to stop taking away my voice because sexual violence is a very real social problem. I guarantee it has happened to someone close to you, dear male reader, maybe to a friend, a work colleague, a sister, cousin or aunt, maybe even to your own mother or wife, but you don't know about it because this woman lives mortified in the shame that you put on her, to the point that she doesn't dare speak up about what happened to her.
By Lena Marques8 years ago in Viva
