Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Let’s talk about periods!
How often do you think about how much waste is made when you're on your period? If you use traditional pads and tampons, it's quite a bit. In their lifetime, tampon users will use and dispose of, on average, 11,000 tampons. Each year, around 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons end up in landfills. Not to mention the tampons that are flushed and go through the water system. So what are the alternatives? Well, my fellow period-havers, there are so many more sustainable options out there. Here are just a few.
Shae MorenoPublished 4 years ago in VivaBlack Women Can't Be Frenemies
I remember being around 14 years old, in a "fight" with some friends and saying to my mom, "Who needs friends anyway?" She laughed at me and said "Girl, every woman needs a good group of girlfriends. You'll see." At 38 years old, that was probably the truest thing I've been told. I have always been what you could call a "serial friend audition-er"; meaning anyone could get a shot, but the likelihood of survival was slim. My personality is complex and thus requires connections with simple but varying personalities that share, well, anything in common with one of the people living in my head.
Tiffany FCPublished 4 years ago in VivaLove Is .
‘Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them,
LOVE IS SERIES . 🌹Published 4 years ago in VivaWOMEN IN HISTORY
Helen Keller is one of the most “Inspirational” women I have ever read about. This woman had every reason to ‘give up’ but refused to let her difficulties to stop her in anything that she wanted to do.
Ruth Elizabeth StiffPublished 4 years ago in VivaAre We Really Talking About This?
I am here to talk about something which isn’t exactly dinner table conversation yet it needs to be addressed. From my theme picture above you have already figured out my topic by now so there are no surprises here. The information that I am going to provide however may be surprising. My goal is to provide important information which is vital to every woman’s health and for the future sake of our environment.
Marilyn GloverPublished 4 years ago in VivaVaginismus: I think there’s something wrong with me
Did you know that most individuals with vaginas and vulvas have never seen it? And I don’t mean a funky cartoon diagram in sixth grade sex-ed. I mean their own. We are told from a very young age not to touch it, to leave it alone. But why? There’s no sound answer to that question, and yet from a very young age, we are told to leave it alone, and that’s the last we hear about it until we’re much older and expected to know everything there is about our bodies. In fact, many people with or without female genitilia couldn’t tell a labia from a vagina in the first place. The world must not yet have realized that when you grow up forced to pretend that something doesn’t exist, that not only do you learn nothing about it, but the idea of learning about it feels wrong.
Vaginismus: the What and Whys of it all
(Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, I am someone with the disorder who has been receiving treatment for nearly a decade.)
Black Women Need Peace
We as Black Women have so much to deal with. Our children, significant others, parents, bills, pets, plants, house chores, work duties and so much more all need constant attention. It's life right? Yes, but we often too many times forget we need attention too! We may have the best support system in our siblings, parents, friends, co workers, and significant others. Our tribe may check on us every day. Yet we sometimes forget we must check on our selves. We have to make sure we take the time out of each day to see how are we feeling physically , mentally , spiritually , and financially. Kings lead and Queens stand beside, or behind our Kings, but Sis let's face it... it's us with the drive to handle it all and a lot of us do handle it all alone. If you are a single parent or if you have someone you are spending your life with it's us Queens that have a heavy weight on our shoulders because we know our men are so targeted, so oppressed that we try to take so much pressure off of them so they can lead and live peaceful lives as possible. This doesn't take away our happiness and peace we love to cater to our men and uplift them daily . Our Kings hold the household down, often are the major breadwinners, and decision makers. But still we be knowing what needs to be done and we get it done right ? We are so stereotyped to be strong at all times and never publicly show our emotions when sad or angry . It's levels of course to expressing any emotion, still we need to break the cycle and end the stigma and release what is in our souls, hearts and minds. Holding raw emotions in is not good for our mental health. If you are stressed , worried , or depressed Sis express that. Don't be ashamed , you know why? Because everyone on the planet felt those exact same feelings before. We are just the ones judged when we express it. I am so tired of us being looked at as angry black women when someone insults us and we check them on it. No we are not angry black women, we are black women who happens to get angry sometimes just like everyone else.
Tammy ReesePublished 4 years ago in Viva100 years of Women's Suffering
1792, Mary Wollstonecraft publishes Vindication of the Rights of Women. August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in the United States.
Heather WilkinsPublished 4 years ago in VivaWE AREN’T THE PROBLEM.
“I was wearing pants, I had my legs covered; I had a long sleeved t-shirt on, covered those distracting shoulders we are always told not to show. I even had a coat on, and a belt. Nothing about what I was wearing stopped him.”
Shallom KimanziPublished 4 years ago in VivaWhen did feminism become 'trendy'?
I have been a passionate intersectional feminist for years now, having learned more about the history of the movement at university. I probably have a conversation about feminism every single day, and am constantly trying to learn more and enlighten others too. It's amazing to see the movement grow, develop and gain interest from mainstream media and news outlets. The word 'feminist' seems to be on the lips of girls younger and younger as each new year comes, and more women are beginning to the don the title with pride. So when this powerful f-word grew across the media landscape, why was the last place I probably expected to see it be in our shops?
Becca HarringtonPublished 4 years ago in Viva- Top Story - August 2020
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: WHAT THE LATEST BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO CHALLENGE IS TRULY ABOUT
*TRIGGER WARNING* This is Pinar Gültekin. 27. The incident that triggered the latest viral black and white photo challenge, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, who beat, strangled and burned her body in a garbage bin, then covered her in concrete.