activism
Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.
That Morning on The Bathroom Floor
I’ll be the first to admit it — I was a real slut in high school. Heck, I was a slut after high school and continue to be a slut to this day. I’m damn proud of it too. I can give a blowjob that’ll have you gushing in mere minutes. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Or rather, write about.
By Little Wanderer8 years ago in Viva
Still Vulnerable
Every woman is a potential victim of violence. We like to think we are equal, but the chances of being the recipient of a beating, rape, or murder are surprisingly high. Every nine seconds, a woman is beaten in America. One in three women have been attacked by an intimate partner. Native American females have a 50 percent higher rate than any other race. These statistics are from 2017, and they are frightening. A full 18 percent involve threats with a weapon, which raises the possibility of a homicide by 500 percent. Intimate partner violence is the leading cause of female homicides. Where there are children in the home, the kids face a 15 percent higher risk of physical abuse than the national average.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Viva
#MeToo
No child is born bad, they just imitate their atmosphere. Yelling, pushing, screaming, fighting. All things you want to prevent your child from being exposed to. Yet when that's all a household does, it seems ineffable to even try to shield them from their surroundings.
By Ray Dizzle8 years ago in Viva
Sexual Abuse
Let me start by saying, every fiber of my being is screaming for me to shut off my computer, walk away, and keep this to myself. It’s my story and my pain. My cross to bear so to speak. However, I feel as though if I might share my story, then maybe it could help others that might have gone through similar situations. It has actually been a few years since the accident, but it took me a year before I could speak of it and when I did it was to my longtime childhood friend. She and I are just like sisters; she is the only one I have trusted with my secret until now. But since then, I have replayed the scene over and over in my mind, wondering what I could have done differently, when in reality there is most likely nothing that could have been done differently. There is still anger and frustration that bubbles inside of me because I am still trying to come to terms with it. Recently I began therapy for PTSD, which for years I have struggled with, nightmares and the whole nine yards.
By Alyssa Horn8 years ago in Viva
How to Make Sure Time Really Is Up for Sexual Harrassment
Several people that I have chosen to share my story with have told me that I could write a book about my life. I assume this is because they think that what I have experienced is not normal. But more and more, the media and feminist campaigns like “Time’s Up” are exposing cases of sexual abuse and showing us that sexual harassment is the norm. It happens too often, to too many people.
By Rachel Davies8 years ago in Viva
Empowering Through Education
My first experience of assault—and I mean by that a smack on the backside—was in the late 1980s. This man creeped me out so much that I would jump in the wardrobe to hide (I was working as a chambermaid) if I heard him coming down the hotel corridor, because if he caught me in the room, he would sit on the bed and try to get me to sit with him and verbally proposition me, heavy breathing added for effect.
By Lesley Anne Armour8 years ago in Viva
The Price I Paid for Using My Voice
I had a friend tell me once that I’d definitely be the first to die in a horror film. Friends, classmates, co-workers, and even boyfriends often saw me as “naïve” or referred to me as the bubbly clueless girl. I know that I’ve been perceived this way for most of my life.
By Casara Clark8 years ago in Viva
Sexism
I am a sexist man! Society views the word sexist as unappealing. Yet, society also views men as prideful, insensitive, strong, overpowering, and privileged. Which for the most part, is true. Sexism is not a women’s issue, it is a men’s issue because of the obtuseness of men. Not obtuseness as an infant, yet as a blindfold to 1), women’s creativity, 2) their valuable nature, and 3) the strength of women.
By Alexis puente8 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
Tired of Explaining the Importance of the Aziz Ansari Story? This Might Help!
Imagine you are pulling out of a parking lot. You check your surroundings and everything looks clear so you start slowly backing out. Suddenly, an Audi going much faster than it should zips around the corner and hits your back taillight. The driver that hit you rolls down their window, sees the moderate damage, and says, “Didn’t see you there” and drives away. Baffled by the series of events that have just transpired you sit in silence for a moment while you process. By the driver's demeanor, you suspect they were intoxicated. Before the car pulls out of sight you instinctively snap a picture of their license plate and proceed to call your insurance company to report the incident. They promise to look into it. A few days later you get a call from the driver-who-hit-you’s insurance company. They remind you that some people are hit going 75 mph on the freeway and that you shouldn't be making such a big deal over a little fender bender. You try and plead your case again. You recount that the driver appeared intoxicated and that the driver committed a hit and run—but they cut you off. They ignore everything you've just said and bring up that the person you are accusing has a car that is more valuable than yours and the repairs are going to be more costly for them, so why are you complaining again? They regress further and tell your photo isn't enough evidence, there is nothing they can do for you, and hang up the phone.
By Claressa Slaughter8 years ago in Viva
