beauty

“She wins who calls herself beautiful and challenges the world to change to truly see her.” - Naomi Wolf

Hair
I won't forget when I was a junior in high school and my anatomy teacher started to rant about how hair is dead and it's absurd we assign such significance to a part of our body that is literally dead.
By E.A. Forster7 years ago in Viva
Inside and Out
The most infamous line in The Devil Wears Prada: “Yes, that's true. That's really what this multibillion-dollar industry is all about anyway, isn't it? Inner beauty.”
By Rebe Behr7 years ago in Viva
Confidence
I don't remember when it happened, but I remember the shift in myself; everything got a little happier, a little brighter, a little better.
By Morgan H7 years ago in Viva
How I Learned to Harness the Power of Intention Through Burlesque
It's been a little more than one year since I embarked on my burlesque journey. What began as a casual Wednesday night workout has blossomed into an intensive training opportunity with an expanding community of women from all backgrounds. It is as much a part of my identity now as my occupation as a writer or my love of pizza.
By Kelly Hawkins7 years ago in Viva
How Cutting My Hair Off Set Me Free. Top Story - December 2018.
"I'm just not attracted to girls with short hair." This is something that my (now ex) boyfriend said to me during an argument once. I'd just caught him cheating on me and that was his apparent excuse for doing so.
By Portgas D. Sara (they/them)7 years ago in Viva
Black Women Aren't Allowed to Have Bad Hair Days, so I Wore a Hijab to Work
My senior year of college, I had a breathtakingly beautiful roommate from Syria. She had soft olive skin, a great physique, and outrageously long eyelashes. She also had a beautiful head of hair, but we only saw it while behind the closed doors of our apartment because she—like other Muslim women—would cover herself as a sign of modesty, protecting her crown of glory. Within the first week of sharing our living quarters, I asked her to teach me to wrap myself. She graciously agreed, simply asking if I was I Muslim.
By Kayla S7 years ago in Viva
Loving Yourself Isn’t as Easy as They Say It Is
Park Nicollet released a report with some staggering statistics about body image in young women including: 53 percent of 13-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies. This number grows to 78 percent by the time girls reach 17. 46 percent of 9-11 year olds are "sometimes" or "very often" on diets, 82 percent of their families are "sometimes" or "very often" on diets. Over 50 percent of teen girls and 30 percent of teen boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.
By Makayla Richards7 years ago in Viva
Be-au-ti-ful
What is beauty, what does it really mean to be beautiful? The media has been bombarding us with its own definition of what beauty is for a long time. Social media has been both an advantage and disadvantage when it comes to challenging the definition of beauty.
By N.M.E7 years ago in Viva
Is It My Body?
I am an introvert, keeping to myself and avoiding confrontation. Yet, no matter how hard I try to blend in with the crowd or fade into the background, others always have something to say about my appearance or personality. Men and women both objectify me. Perfect strangers are just as guilty as long time friends and close family members. The comments range from painfully obvious observations ("Hahaha, you're so short, LOL") to erroneous assumptions (Wow congratulations, how many months 'til you're due?). I'm judged for every aspect of my being, from my petite stature to my voluptuous curves, from my ethnicity to my bisexual identity, from my physical appearance to the way I spell my name. I try not to dwell on other people's opinions, especially when they don't even know the real me. However, the human brain has evolved over centuries to be social, to care about our reputations, to crave acceptance and unity.
By Cheryl Lynn7 years ago in Viva
The Struggle Is Real: Black Woman Edition
The year is 2018. Hip-Hop is the most listened to and the highest paid genre in music, and being Black is a trend. Who would've thought? Especially after the many years of dehumanizing and demolishing the Black image. Even though this is still present today, what's changed? The role and presence of the Black woman, just to name one.
By Black Mulan7 years ago in Viva
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
“Competition between women has been made part of the beauty myth so that women will be divided from one another”—Naomi Wolfe, Beauty Myth (p.14).
By Kellion K7 years ago in Viva
Five Things Every Plus Size Girl Should Know
1. It's ok to feel like you are a queen/ Instagram model/ beast/ anything you want! Plus size girls are gifted with humbleness. We know what it feels like to be torn down, body shamed, and hated on because of our weight, but girl if you are feeling yourself you go! Be your own hype beast cause we can own the runway too. You don't have to be a size two to feel like a queen or have a million followers that like your post, or anything. You are your own self-motivator and if you feelin’ extra, honey, you work it cause I know I am not gonna let anybody tell me I can't be a queen. Try and take my crown and see what happens. So all my plus size queens wear your crowns' every day and when you start to believe your worth it, your life will change, because you are beautiful, humble, strong, fashionable, and yaaaaasss queen you are unstoppable!
By Maricella Flores7 years ago in Viva