history

The roots of feminism were planted millennia ago; we must understand feminism throughout history to contemplate how much farther we can go.

Who Was Linda Boreman?
As Women’s History Month comes to an end, it’s important to acknowledge the achievements of influential women and their stories. During my research on some of the world’s most remarkable women, I stumbled across Linda Boreman - more famously known as Linda Lovelace. To be clear, Linda was no Oprah Winfrey or Rosa Parks, and I did not find her on any of the “Top 100 Women” lists that I endlessly scrolled through.
By Wendy6 years ago in Viva
The Women Forgotten
In February, around Valentine’s Day, my friends and I planned a girl’s night out. We all parked our cars along the road and carried our bags into our friend’s house to all get ready together because, for us, getting ready together is half of the fun. It was a whirlwind of glitter, wine bottles, cigarettes, mascara wands out of their tubes, eye shadow sprinkled onto the table like some kind of party drug. Clothes were flying everywhere and music was playing and there were a lot of laughs and hugs. That’s what I think of when I think of the women in my life. A beautiful whirlwind.
By Chelsea Swiggett6 years ago in Viva
Kendra & Milly
My mother met Milly Sawyers two years ago, after she had been deceased for nearly two centuries. Despite this, their connection was instantaneous and both women breathed life and fire into the other. Their solidarity and light grew and spilled out to influence and inspire young people, their homeland community, their state-wide justice system, and, quite soon, their justice system on a national level.
By Lizbeth Chappell6 years ago in Viva
The Emancipation of Women
March is Women's History Month. I happened to notice that today. What can we do as women to make this planet a better place? What can we do to contribute while generating income for ourselves? Some of you have children and husbands and think I am crazy for even suggesting this. Like how could you possibly take on anymore than what you have in front of you right now?
By Missy Conley6 years ago in Viva
Why Don’t We Honor Women?
Women have been fighting for equality in the United States since day one. Slowly, women are making progress. There is one segment of society in which very little progress has been made. We still do not honor women the same way we do men.
By Robert Bowen6 years ago in Viva
Silence
This Changes Everything is new in theatres and should be required viewing for all women, girls, and anyone in the entertainment industry. Tom Donahue's discussion of the lack of female representation behind the camera is well-structured, compelling, clear, and concise. Though it doesn't necessarily tell us anything we haven't been hearing for years, it’s (hopefully) still enough to get people listening. It reiterates that men outnumber women in film in almost every department and, while the Me Too movement has pulled many peoples' heads out of their asses, we still have a long way to go before the representation on a film set matches the demographics that represent our society.
By Princess Buttercup7 years ago in Viva
Cleopatra the Great: Why Cleopatra Was the Smartest and Most Intelligent Ruler of Egypt
Cleopatra. Name brings up many words: seductress, selfish, mistress, harlot, and many other negative words. What about smart or great ruler? Yes, she might have died without insuring her country's independence, but she did all she could to try to accomplish it. She was wickedly intelligent and knew how to use her feminine ways to get what she wanted. If Caesar had not died she could have accomplished all she wanted for herself and for her people. Cleopatra was truly one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt. She had the makings of a great world conqueror and general, always thinking ahead, knowing her opponent, and being intelligible. And as said in The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time “it was both her desire and ambition that made her the Queen of Kings.”
By Catherine Agati7 years ago in Viva
Margaret Thatcher’s Girl Power: She Did It!
The role of women in history is huge. Being forced to fight for their rights, they have reached stunning success in all fields and proved that they are not the weaker sex. Committed, hard-working, goal-oriented, and extremely strong women have made a huge impact on the development and formation of the word. But who has left the greatest mark on history? However, if you asked about a single most influential women of the 20th century, we would point to Margaret Thatcher without any hesitation, as she has changed the course of history once and forever.
By Jilian Woods7 years ago in Viva
History's Baddest Bitches
Tomoe Gozen A painting of Tomoe Gozen by Chikanobu (now at the Walter Art Museum) Many people know about the male samurai warriors of Japan, but did you know that women were samurais too? Toemoe Gozen was a concubine turned samurai during the Genpei civil war (imagine Game of Thrones style conflict of "who sits on the throne") during the 12th century in Japan. The war was between the Taira and Minamoto clans. Unfortunately, due to the contradictory nature of medieval sources and legends written over the years, Tomoe's personal life remains a mystery. But historians know of her love life and military career. Tomoe was a concubine to Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka (otherwise known as Minamoto no Yoshinaka), and was known as his lover or one of many wives. She was known as a FIERCE warrior who was skilled in archery, horseback, and long sword. Tomoe has been depicted decapitating her enemies (you know just casually as one samurai does) on the battlefield. One of her biggest military accomplishments is when she defeated seven mounted warriors, and collected their chopped off heads (and displayed them like Oscar trophies). No wonder Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka made her a leading general in his army. But after years of chopping off heads of her enemies, Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka was killed. No one really knows what happened to Tomoe after that. Some say she was captured by the enemy and became a concubine again. And others say she became a Buddhist nun and died at the old age of 91. One legend tells that she stole Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka's head from the enemy and walked into the ocean and drowned (how romantically tragic). There is a statute of her and Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka at Tokuonji, the Kiso family temple located northwest of the city of Kyoto.
By Evy E7 years ago in Viva
Top Greatest Women Writers
There are plenty of great writers in the world. Hemingway, Shakespeare, and Dickens are some of the names we hear most often. However, female writers don’t always get the same attention. So, let’s take a moment know to appreciate some of the greatest women who’ve put pen to paper.
By Donald Jefferson7 years ago in Viva
Who Was Abigail Adams?
Abigail Adams is an important feminist figure in the United States. As the wife of John Adams, Abigail used her job to push forward her own powerful Federalist and feminist views. Mrs. Adams was one of the earliest feminists, and would forever affect today's women.
By Jade Pulman7 years ago in Viva
The Women's Land Army
‘We’ve come a long way; from Adam’s rib to Women’s Lib.’ This was the 'war-cry’ of women in the 1970s, and refers to the major changes that were coming about, thanks to protests around the world by the Women’s Liberation Movement. The story of “Adam’s Rib” is found in Genesis, which tells how God created the first woman, Eve, by removing a rib from Adam’s body and fashioning it into a woman. Regardless of which deity (if any) that you put your faith in, the idea of women being lesser beings seems to be consistent. For such a long time women were unable to compete at the same level as men, but through relentless campaigning and gradual social change, we arrive where we are today.
By Amelia Roberts7 years ago in Viva