feminism
At its core, feminism is the simple conviction that women are equal to men in every regard, and should be treated as such.
Why I Don’t Shave
I don’t shave my underarms. Right now some of you are mentally giving me high fives, raising your fist to cheer me on and cursing the beauty standards that making shaving your underarms so important. Others literally gagged a little and may have stopped reading because you think this is another stand against the patriarchy and their beauty standards. It’s not.
By Kathryn Brown8 years ago in Viva
It Is Not Your Duty to Be the Perfect Survivor
1. It is NEVER your fault. Sexual violence is a REAL issue. It can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, race, or religious preference. It is very easy to blame yourself as well as for others to blame you. The truth is, it is never your fault, plain & simple. It does not matter if you were drunk. It does not matter what you were wearing. It does not matter if you were walking in a dark alley late at night by yourself. The person who commits this horrendous act is solely to blame for their actions, not you. So forget what people may say, forget what society pushes upon you, and forget what the media shoves down your throat. The more people that can stand up against shaming the survivors, the more we can work together to end this epidemic.
By RaeAnna Mercado8 years ago in Viva
The Escape to Find Happiness Part 1
It had been a hard life for young Moira; she had lost her mother to bone marrow cancer which had took her by surprise and now she was left with the brute she called her stepfather. Moira was just 15 years of age when she had to take her mother’s place from cleaning to in the bedroom. The step father was called Robert, he’d won guardianship of Moira although she had protested but due to her age she didn’t have a leg to stand on; she was a minor and needed someone to take care of her.
By Elizabeth spence ( Darby ) 8 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
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
7 Things to Never Say to a Survivor of Sexual Assault
1. "I'm not like him/her." We know, or at least we think we know. If we thought you were, you wouldn't be having the opportunity to tell us you aren't. However, there is always a part of us wondering if you are like them, if you're exactly like the predator that transformed us into what the rest of society deems as "victims." If you're really not like them, don't say you're not, show us you're not.
By Kimberly Duff8 years ago in Viva
The Lessons I've Learned from Having Women as Friends
The other day, I was thinking about all my past relationships—either romantic ones, from work, friendships, or family. And I realized something: the most real relationships I've had were with other women. More than that, I've learned so many valuable lessons from them.
By Carolina Carvalho8 years ago in Viva
Me Too
Just today, I read a story that a woman had written about her experience with sexual abuse. It was titled "Me too." After reading her story, I felt that I owed it to myself to come clean about some of the things that I went through as a child. I hope that sharing my story will encourage others to do the same.
By Taneka Sky8 years ago in Viva
