history
The roots of feminism were planted millennia ago; we must understand feminism throughout history to contemplate how much farther we can go.
Standing Up for Your Choices
Standing up to disapproving family members to defend your relationship choices isn’t easy, but women have been standing up for what they want for hundreds of years — even in China in 170 CE. During the Eastern Han dynasty, a young woman known as Lady Wu did just that.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA7 years ago in Viva
The Furies: A Modern Antagonist from the Past
Strong female characters have become a desirable aspect for writers of all styles. The direct stereotype of damsel-in-distress appeals to audiences as it shows how women are so much more than what they've previously been portrayed as in society. All female films, female directors, female writers and female producers are becoming more common in our day, alongside such modern phenomena as the #MeToo movement (intended not just for women, of course) have goaded us into thinking that female lead theatre and film is the result of modern thinking. However, I believe that the inclusion of strong females in the arts industry goes back much further than most realise: to the Ancient Greeks. Not only did strong women like Sappho make the arts their own, but the Furies were written as the powerful main antagonists of The Eumenides. The final installment in the only ancient trilogy to still exist, The Oresteia by Aeschylus.
By Stephanie MacLeod7 years ago in Viva
Celia, A Slave
Celia, A Slave was a book published by Melton A. McLaurin based on a true story about a woman named Celia. Celia was an African American female who lived in Audrain County, Missouri, which bordered Callaway to the North, until she was purchased by Robert Newsom in 1850 (McLaurin, 11). By this year, she was approximately fourteen years old, but other than that not much was known about her before her arrival to the Newsom farm. Historians do not know if she was born in Audrain County, whether she had been the property of a farmer, or how many masters she had had previously (McLaurin, 11). While working on the Newsom farm, Celia cooked for the Newsom household, which consisted of Robert Newsom, his son Harry, and his daughters, Virginia and Mary (McLaurin, 11). In addition to her household duties, Robert Newsom treated her as his concubine. Newsom molested and raped Celia, which eventually led to his murder. The relationships of race, gender, and power in the antebellum South were revealed in many aspects of Celia’s life as a slave, as shown in her experiences with rape by Robert Newsom and her court case.
By Jade Rosario8 years ago in Viva
Empowering Women in Classical China
Around 190 CE China, it was common for girls’ personal names to be unrecorded by history. Instead, all we have left is to know them by their family names. One such woman born in this era was Lady Sun, but she didn’t let society stop her from trampling over gender norms with her one hundred armed female soldiers. This kind of female empowerment and early feminism is a rare find in this time period. A unit of female guards, all armed with swords and other weapons, was positively unheard of in the Han Dynasty, but when China split into three separate kingdoms, things like gender norms became a little more relaxed.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA8 years ago in Viva
Feminism or Common Sense?
Part IWhat is considered having a monumental reputation is Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa for two reasons. For one, it is attributed to the mastery of the sfumato style, in which forms appear to evaporate into one another. Secondly, the most celebrated painting in the world has nothing to do with her enigmatic smile. Considered a great mystery, her smile is no mystery at all.
By Adrian Algan8 years ago in Viva
Five Historical Women You Really Wouldn't Want to Mess With
Though there have been many female warriors throughout history, many have been sadly neglected in the history books in favor of their male counterparts. In this list, I will discuss five of the most fearless women who ever picked up a weapon. Though they lived in many different time periods and cultures, they all had the same desire to fight for themselves and their people.
By Hailie Crowder8 years ago in Viva
History of the Flower Crown
It's music festival season, and the main accessory adorned in the heat of Coachella are flower crowns. A popular fashion choice that has ancient origins, and has managed to sneak its way into popular culture over many centuries. Here's a brief history on the flower crown and its evolution through women's fashion.
By Alexandria Blan ☽8 years ago in Viva
Wronged Women. Top Story - March 2018.
In my time learning history from the Ancient Greeks to the Tudors, I have begun to notice in a pattern in how the history that we know is far from the actual truth. History is not a new subject, History and Classics were being taught in Oxford and Cambridge at the time of Henry VIII and before. The Renaissance, in short, came about as a rebirth of these classical ideas and philosophies which so fascinated the medieval world. However, only until recently did we finally have female voices in history. Women were not allowed admittance to universities, not to say that they were not educated but the average Tudor woman's grasp of Latin would be constrained to that of the church, it would be unlikely that she had an opinion on the rights and wrongs of Helen of Troy. This lack of female voice in history has all too often polluted the vision that we have of women from our past, often coloured with outdated misogynistic lenses. Taking the fiction away from the facts of the events can be hard, as so often historical figures are clouded with myths about them, as I will go on to discuss. As students, as people, we owe these women, who usually changed the world we live in through their existence, the comfort of having their stories told for what they were.
By Beth Haywood8 years ago in Viva
Most Famous Female Engineers in History
From the 1800s to now, famous female engineers continue to make their mark on history, creating groundbreaking inventions that will alter our lives day to day. As huge milestones for women, and huge milestones for the world, each of these inventions are used to this day. And they weren't created with ease, as there were tireless hours spent, limitations due to gender prejudice in a male-dominated world, and even struggles with illness.
By April Demarco8 years ago in Viva
