Top Stories
Stories in Viva that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
It’s OK To Be Rude
The first time I was harassed, I was barely thirteen. Standing outside the grocery store where my dad was helping my grandma choose some things to bring back to her apartment, I waited with our new puppy on the sidewalk. It was busy and hot, the sun battering the pavement and the exhaust from cars clouding in the air. A man older than my father approached, petting our new puppy without asking. He then launched into a speech about how pretty I was, followed by an onslaught of questions begging to know my address, my phone number, my age and whether my parents were around. I told him I was just thirteen. He laughed, but was not dissuaded. I noticed how his eyes lingered in uncomfortable places for longer than I wanted them to. As he leaned close to me, I caught a whiff of alcohol from his faded t-shirt. Eventually, I ran inside.
By Ilana Quinn4 years ago in Viva
Fangirl Culture Made Me The Badass Woman I Am Today
Originally published on Odyssey Online The first iteration of my Facebook page when I was fourteen included an expansive list of the fandoms I belonged to: Whovian, Potterhead. Directioner. Sheerio. The list went on and on. I listed my fandoms as my good qualities on a resume.
By Alisan Keesee4 years ago in Viva
A Feminist Examination of "Twilight"...By a Man
The reputation of the 2008 cinematic adaptation of Stephenie Meyers’s Twilight precedes it, for worse and for better. Sometime in middle school, I attempted to read the original novel. Popular as it was, I found it dull and couldn’t bring myself to finish it. As such, when I was assigned to watch the movie for a college class, my expectations going in were rather low. Much to my surprise, I found myself actually liking the film somewhat. Director Catherine Hardwicke paints very beautiful cinematic pictures, and I found quite a few of the characters rather endearing—specifically, Bella and Jacob’s respective dads, Bella and Edward’s respective moms, Edward’s adoptive sister Alice, and Bella’s friend group at Forks High. And, for all the crap she has been given, I thought Kristen Stewart did well as Bella. All that said, Twilight still has its issues. Viewed through a feminist lens, though it is by no means a masterpiece, it is not completely without merit either.
By Frank Macaluso4 years ago in Viva
We Need to Teach Our Daughters They Are Enough
When I was five, my grandfather tried to convince me that men were superior to women. I don’t remember this, being so young at the time, but my mother has since recounted the story to me. I was standing there, looking up at my beloved grandpa with wide eyes, nodding along when she walked in and heard what he was saying.
By Samantha Blake4 years ago in Viva
The Post Office and Women
The Post Office: An Early Employer of Women Sarah Goddard and Mary Katherine Goddard were known female Postmasters in the 1700s. The post office archives goes on to mention Ann Clay, postmaster in New Castle, Delaware. Elizabeth Creswell postmaster in Charlestown, Maryland and in 1792 postmaster Sarah DeCrow in Hertford, North Carolina.
By Paula C. Henderson4 years ago in Viva
A Feminist Critique of Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rhetorical analyses are a crucial part of understanding how the rhetor has impacted an audience. That being said, feminist criticism may look into how marginalized groups have been impacted by a rhetor. When reviewing the following research question: How do rhetors construct ways of being that are independent of accepted and conventional norms; we are able to further analyze the rhetor’s approach to creating a safe and understanding space for marginalized groups in an otherwise intolerant society. Being able to criticize an artifact using this question will allow readers to better grasp the idea of what it is like to be in a marginalized group and how to not only tolerate individuals but accept and embrace their unique qualities and what they bring to our society as a whole. This analysis will explore how Rocky Horror Picture Show dismantles the hegemonic ideology through generating multiple perspectives, reframing, and juxtaposing incongruities as feminist strategies of disruption.
By Kaitlyn Cope5 years ago in Viva
What My Mother Taught Me
"Ping - Ping - Ping", with a heavy baby sledge hammer in hand, my mother beats the cherry-red horseshoe into the correct shape and size until it loses its glow. "Chich" is the sound of the shoe being thrust back into the glowing coal embers of the forge, heating it up to a warm glow, for another round of hammering. Once my mother is satisfied with her customization of the horseshoe, she plunges it into a metal pail at her feet that is filled with water: "Sssssss" the metal violently hisses as a thick blanket of steam quickly rises up, engulfing my mother, to where I can barely make out the image of her wearing jeans, a worn out T-Shirt, and heavy leather apron; from my vantage point just a few feet away, as I play with one of the farm's numerous dogs.
By Meko James 5 years ago in Viva
The Solution is Inside Us.
If there's one thing I've learned, no thing you do is too small. Pennies add up. It's amazing how a small things like this can make such a huge difference in the environment. I don't know why more people aren't talking about periods in the first place, let alone how to handle them, but it's about time we said something.
By Amargeaux Rai5 years ago in Viva
