activism
Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.
Me Too
For the longest time, I have been afraid to tell people about some parts of my past. I have been afraid to attach my face to a story of sexual assault and abuse. I have been afraid of what my family will think of me, what my friends will think of me, what my future partners may think of me. I have been afraid of what they may make me feel obligated to do, such as taking legal action against the one who did me wrong. I have been afraid of the potential implications of admitting what happened to me.
By Emily Dean8 years ago in Viva
Violation
NOTE: Only initials will be given for the sake of the victimsS.B.: She was about 6. She use to play with her cousins like any normal child who grew up around close relatives. She told me that one day her uncle entered the room and told her cousins to leave. She, being a little girl, thought nothing of it because he was family. You should be able to trust family, right? She couldn't. After he approached and sat behind this ball of radiant energy, he proceeded to just slip his finger in his private area. Something so abrupt happened to this little girl, and I don't think she knew how to react. How do you react to that as a little girl? He proceeded to rub her chest, making the situation worse. He even tried to take it a step further by pulling down his pants in the hopes of getting some action. She was saved by an older cousin who happened to walk in. That cousin didn't realize what was going on or what she had done, but my heart dropped knowing what could've happened if she hadn't done that.
By Chantelle Peters8 years ago in Viva
EMCP – You Want Girls to What?
It looks like there's some distress out in the world of cosplay photography this morning after the re-circulation of screenshots from 2015-2016 of Eugene Manning attempting to pressure his female clients into shoots they were not comfortable with. Manning owns and operates EMCP and Eugene Manning Photography which are based in New York.
By Merlin Of Story8 years ago in Viva
There Is Power in Numbers
Alyssa Milano revived a movement on Twitter with the hashtag #MeToo. This was started about a decade ago by activist Tarana Burke. Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer and former film executive, who co-founded Miramax entertainment company, is facing sexual assault and harassment allegations. These accusations first publicly surfaced in New York Times at the beginning of October. Since then, many celebrities have shared stories about their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault. Alyssa wrote this on Twitter back in October:
By Lilli Adams8 years ago in Viva
Why Do Men Feel the Need to Belittle Women's Rights?
A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook regarding women's rights and how society needs to change its outlook. We can no longer live in a society that rewards male aggression and dominance and silences women. We can no longer teach our daughters, "boys will be boys" or "he hit you cause he likes you". We cannot live in a time where a reported sexual predator controls the largest economy and military in the world. Somehow we all know of a girl or woman who has been a victim of verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from a man, yet most of us can't -- or don't -- name an abuser. She wrote a well-reasoned post about men treating women with respect, and both women and men changing their attitudes towards abuse. That's when I saw it.
By Bea Santos8 years ago in Viva
Sexually Harassed
It wasn't my fault. I don’t care what the lawyers say. Sometimes things happen that are not our fault. I was standing there waiting for the bus like I do everyday. It was cold that day, the first day of spring break. I had on a sweater, some jeans and boots that all the girls wear, not misleading or provocative in any way. I’d just missed the bus and it wasn't coming again for half an hour.
By Kerry Mack8 years ago in Viva
I'm Angry
Anger cannot be silenced. Even if the words aren't spoken, anger will bubble up and excrete its toxic ooze of existence in our actions, our demeanor, our very being. With the onslaught of sexual assault and harassment accusations coming to light throughout our entertainment and political spectrum, it's both an enlightening and a burden on sexual assault survivors/victims. I am a victim, I don't know if I can ever be a survivor.
By Betsy Calden8 years ago in Viva
Sexual Harassment and the Male Gaze: How the Objectification of Women Obstruct Social Relations and How Women are Beginning to Challenge These Issues
In recent news and according to the New York Times article written by Jessica Bennett titled "The ‘Click’ Moment: How the Weinstien Scandal Unleashed a Tsunami," scandals of sexual harassment are becoming larger and frequent. This issue is not new and the outing of such experiences are also not recent. If our culture respected and integrated social laws that defended woman against social predators, this would not be accurate. Unfortunately, the hegemonic Euro-centric standard is what ultimately leads to a standard of beauty and allows women of color — specifically, darker skinned woman — to have less power and status to that of a lighter skinned woman, who faces her own prejudices. These standards are stereotypical of your Eurocentric features and lead to the obscurity of the relationships between men and women of color particularly of darker complexion.
By Traveling From Heavenly Places8 years ago in Viva
