body
Feminism demands a future free of fat shaming, body obsession and the male gaze.
Body Shaming Needs to End Now
This is a topic that has been difficult for me to write for the mere fact that I do it to myself. I don't know many women or men out there who don't shame their bodies from time to time. Dealing with that could be an article all on its own. With us being so hard on ourselves, what happens when someone else criticizes our appearance? This is going to be a hard truth for some people to digest, but we have all judged someone based off of their appearance. Whether it be clothes, facial features, weight, height, etc., no one is innocent. You might not say it to their face, but you have had those ugly thoughts pop up. Is that wrong?
By Ashlyn Harper7 years ago in Viva
The Issue Today
I am scared of chickens. Namely, roosters. This is due to a particularly traumatic experience I had with one a couple of summers ago. There was a rooster on my grandparents' farm that I just knew was evil. Everyone else would joke about him being tough and protective, but would never listen when I tried to convince them that it went much deeper than that. That rooster knew what he wanted, and he was going to get it. The first few days I was there, I carried a garden hoe with me whenever I was out by the barn, simply for protection. He’d come near me a few times, but whenever I made it clear I still had the hoe, he’d back off. One day, I made the fatal mistake of not only going out while I was tired but also without my hoe. As soon as he noticed that I was not armed or partially on my ‘A Game,’ he went after me. He was running, I was running. I tripped and suddenly he was on top of me. I finally got myself back up and into the house. I noticed blood on my pants and discovered he had cut me on the inside of my thigh. I told my grandma that the rooster attacked me, and she told me I'd be fine. I make sure to point out the scar on my leg whenever I see her now. Since then, it’s been a running joke that I hate roosters and that I am terrified. The truth? I am terrified of roosters, no matter how kind they may seem to be at the beginning.
By Stormy Robertson7 years ago in Viva
Homework from My Therapist
I was tasked by my therapist to write a letter to the man who sexually assaulted me. I was told I never had to send it to him and that is was for myself...something in me really wanted to share it though so I could truly get my feelings out. So here I am, and here is a letter to my rapist.
By Little Alien7 years ago in Viva
My IUD and Me
For as long as I could remember, everyone has told me that the IUD was horrible and will ruin your body. They said it was dangerous, it wasn't right to have a foreign object inside your uterus like that for so long. And for a while, I believed them. Especially with all the late-night commercials you see about them causing serious issues for women. So I decided to go on the pill once I started having sex. Honestly, there were so many times where I forgot to take it, I freaked out when my period was late and thought, “Yep, I'm going to get pregnant for sure this time.” They turned out to be false alarms every time.
By briana okay7 years ago in Viva
Losing the Power of No
Over the past month or 2, I lost the power of "no." A "friend" of mine took it away from me and it answered a lot of questions about why my mental health has been so bad over the past couple of months. I normally don't have breakdowns as frequently as I have lately. So let me explain what happened.
By Jody-Lynne Belbin7 years ago in Viva
Being the Fat Girl in 2018
Often I find myself being the fattest person in the room. It's fine, I've been this way for long enough that I can dodge the looks I get from thin people, old men, and of course, all the children. When you've been the fat girl your entire life, there are plenty of obstacles you just have to jump over. It's part of living in a society where a burger is $1 and a salad will cost you $5. As the resident fat girl, you just get used to things.
By Waverleigh Rose Garlington7 years ago in Viva
The Fat Girl Chronicles
Fat. Chubby. Large. Overweight. Obese. Plus size. Sometimes we chose to be fat. Others it is a disorder due to a disease or illness. But others—they used it as a shield and coping with eating stuff made them feel good because let's face it, it really was delicious...
By Ashley Robertson7 years ago in Viva
