Top Stories
Stories in Viva that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
I am Human, and Nothing Human is Alien to me
In the light of the release of ‘Framing Britney Spears’ documentary, portraying, what seems to be a perpetual tragedy, Spears’ life, I decided to make a little YouTube search and ran across a fan-made documentary series, and the story of Spears’ life shook me.
By Autumn Rose4 years ago in Viva
Picasso - An Artistic Genius or a Bullying, Misogynistic Womaniser?
Pablo Picasso was inarguably the most prolific painter of the 20th century. A pioneer of the avant-garde movement and whose artistic genius is unparalleled. But do you know that his tumultuous relationships were expressed in his art pieces in the form of misogyny, prejudice, and male chauvinism?
By Kamna Kirti4 years ago in Viva
Who Defines Authenticity?
We were tasked to define our "authentic selves". Each of us looked deep and came at the question from entirely different directions. We invite you to let your mind wander in ours a while. Then perhaps dig out your journal and see what words come to mind to define your own sense of authenticity. The challenge may be complete, but the opportunity to write for a prompt continues.
By The Vocal Creators Chronicle4 years ago in Viva
Pilar Had Ferrets
As the niece of a million handsome uncles, I was constantly surrounded by swooning women. Whether it was my sister's friends, neighbors, sisters of other girlfriends, moms, ladies who worked at my grandmother's restaurant- none of them were safe from the Latin lady killers that were my uncles. Along with this collection of hunky uncles came the collection of beautiful women they dated— the true main characters of this story. And, as I think back to my childhood memories with my uncles, rarely were their girlfriends not included.
By Jane Often4 years ago in Viva
The Gone Girl Revival
Spoiler warning! Gone Girl, both the book and the movie, have seen a resurgence in the past six months or so. Snippets of the 'Cool Girl Monologue' have been floating around Tiktok, and aesthetic images of Amy Dunne are appearing on Instagram, with captions claiming 'she did nothing wrong'. Of course, with lockdown it was inevitable that many movies would find many new viewers, particularly films that were very popular when they first came out, but there has been a certain added attraction to movies with highly gender-based commentaries: American Psycho, Fight Club, and Gone Girl, to name a few. The reasons for this Gone Girl resurgence in particular are a complex tale of anger, counter-movement and irony.
By Hannah Macdermott4 years ago in Viva
Silver Hair and Silver Linings
Women regularly come under fire when they decide to show themselves as they are and leave society's expectations aside. And nothing says, "I don't care about social rules" like letting your silver hair shine wild and free. Even if you're 29 years old.
By Marina Fortuño4 years ago in Viva
The Mysterious Genital Sculptures That Adorn Britain's Churches
Sheela Na Gigs are seemingly erotic stone carvings of female figures predominately found in Romanesque churches. What's special about them? Well these sculptures consist of an old disproportionate woman squatting and pulling apart her vulva, a fairly strange thing to find in a church.
By Kamna Kirti4 years ago in Viva
Jellybean
“I’ll start my diet on Monday” “I’ll lose the weight next year, I promise” “Once I lose this weight my life will be so much better”. I tell myself these small platitudes and for the briefest of moments, I truly believe them. I think I want to believe them because we’re so conditioned to believe that our worth is tied to our outward beauty.
By Miranda Mariana Maloy 4 years ago in Viva
I Sparkled on My Own Terms
It was my wedding reception. Let me put this into context for my non-Indian readers. An Indian wedding reception usually happens a day after the wedding. It is an occasion when all friends and family, primarily on the groom’s side, come laden with gifts and good wishes for the newlywed pair. In exchange, the guests have a delectable feast.
By Rhea Dyuti4 years ago in Viva
My Essence As Woman Is Freedom
We live in a time of extractive patterns. Patterns where the dysfunctions of our relations, with other people and the planet, have become so normalized that we don't even remember what healthy even looks like. Patterns where we run towards what sparkles even faster than we run away from the pain behind us.
By Kaia Maeve Tingley4 years ago in Viva
