history
The roots of feminism were planted millennia ago; we must understand feminism throughout history to contemplate how much farther we can go.
The Woman of History
In a society that undermines women in almost every aspect of life, often we forget to recognize the women of history that shaped the society of which we live in. Such women include, the commemorated military leader, Jeanne d'Arc. Her role as a female leader in the hundred years' war has earned her the title as the National Heroine and Saint. For centuries women have been subjected to the collective inequalities, discrimination and prejudice inflicted by men. However, it is women like those of Jeanne d'Arc that has shaped women's representation over the course of history.
By Ezra Scarlet 5 years ago in Viva
BLACK INNOVATION
Say what?? You want me to narrow this story down to just one person? This was my reaction to this month's writing challenge. The challenge is to pick a black person whom I admire that has been an innovator, inventor, or creator. The actual challenge is there are too many to choose from. Alas, the educator in me wins out yet again. I choose Bellen Woodard.
By Lisa Brasher5 years ago in Viva
The Enlightened Woman. Top Story - March 2021.
Over the last year, I've been upgrading some high school courses in order to bolster my university applications (29 year old, going to post-secondary for the first time here! Woohoo!). One of the courses I'm taking is World History, which has been extremely insightful considering the global events that have transpired since March 2020. Recently, I had the opportunity to select a topic of my choice for an essay. There was a list of suggestions I could pick from, or I could present an idea of my own. On the list I saw two intriguing topics right next to each-other:
By Samantha Kaszas5 years ago in Viva
What the vote meant for me
As I ponder the meaning of my life and look back on what I achieved I turn to one of my trusted confidants, Google. I type ‘oldest woman to live’ and am cheered to discover Jeanne Louise Calment. A woman who lived to the age of 122. A hope flickers inside me. Maybe I have a lot longer to achieve all of the things I want? To actually write a bucket list and start ticking it off, but most of all to make a difference.
By Melanie Charles5 years ago in Viva
What Do Booze & Washing Machines Have In Common?. Top Story - March 2021.
Many of us learned in school about the 19th Amendment, which was passed in 1920 and gave women the right to vote across America. We also learned about the 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, outlawing alcohol and ushering in an era known as “Prohibition.” And, we all learned about the Second Industrial Revolution, which also began in the early 1900s and was characterized by railroads, steel production, manufacturing and machinery, and electricity.
By Lacey Doddrow5 years ago in Viva
All About Corsets
The corset has a bad reputation. And unfairly so, according to real women, and actual evidence, who say this undergarment of centuries past is not nearly as evil or confining as modern folks have come to believe. First, though, a bit of quick history - The corset has been an indispensable article of clothing for several centuries in Europe, evolving as fashion trends have changed. Women, as well as some men, have used it to change the appearance of their bodies. The corset first became popular in sixteenth-century Europe, reaching the zenith of its popularity in the Victorian era. While the corset has typically been worn as an undergarment, it has occasionally been used as an outer-garment; corsets as outer-garments can be seen in the national dress of many European countries. Even as it gained popularity, the corset was not worn by everyone. Mary, Queen of Scots, for example, did not wear a corset. During the reign of Louis XV of France and again during the French Revolution, the corset went out of style, as the fashions were simpler. But, what you know as a corset, and the term corset itself only came into use at the start of the Victorian era (1820s and 1830s) and lasted up through the 50s and 60s. Previously, women (and mostly in England - the french were less keen on them) wore stays. In early 16th century Europe, corsets called “payre of bodies'' or ‘stays’ pushed the breasts upward and shaped the torso into a slim cylinder, thanks to boning made of horn, buckram or whalebone, and a flat wooden “busk” running down the center. But by the 17th century, corsets took on more of a cone-like shape, often made of two separate pieces of boned fabric known as stays, held together in the front with the busk. For a brief time, from 1800 to 1830, the Napoleonic high “empire waist” allowed for short stays to reign briefly.
By Jules Monfort5 years ago in Viva
Mary Kenner created the sanitary belt
It is always troubling to me to hear that the color of someone's skin or their gender is the only reason they were not treated fairly. I will never wrap my head around the fact that many modern inventions were unfairly delayed because of racism and or sexism. The black female innovator that I am writing about today created something that was very useful to women during her time. This product is no longer in use today and many young women may not even have heard of it. Mary Kenner invented the sanitary belt which gave women a method that was beneficial during their monthly periods.
By Cheryl E Preston5 years ago in Viva
Queen's Do Not Cry
‘They tell us not to fear the unknown. They tell us that all will well, as long as we believe. As long as we keep the faith, we will be okay. At least that's what they tell everyone else. From a young age, I was taught differently than the common folk. I was taught to not show fear, to not show sadness or grief. I was taught from a young age not to cry before our subjects. Not even when my mother passed around seven was I to cry at her funeral. I was forced to watch as the carriage, and rows of horses carried her body up to the royal cemetery with my head held high. I remember my father did hold my hand, my older brother Stephan beside him and my grandmother in a black veil. My father pulled me along when our carriage came to view, he helped me inside and I thought it was safe to cry, but he wouldn't have it.
By C.N. McDonald5 years ago in Viva
