Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
He Never Laid a Finger on Me
Glen and I were high school sweethearts. I loved him and thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. I looked at him and often wondered how somebody like him could want to be with someone like me. I was this chubby, short, unpopular girl and to me, he was this slightly older, much cooler Adonis. Glen was very spoiled. If he wanted something specific for dinner, he'd get it. If he wanted a certain game system, even if they didn't have the money, he'd still have it. New guitar? Sure. Lessons to go with it? You betcha. His mom even did his laundry for him. He was very fortunate even though his family was NOT very well off. As you can imagine, he was used to getting his way and I fed into that immediately upon dating him.
Moogle MacabrePublished 6 years ago in VivaCopper IUDs: The Good, the Bad, the Uncomfortable
Getting an IUD is one of those things. You've been flip-flopping on the idea for a long time and one of the main factors keeping you from doing it is the initial pain of the procedure. I get it, I was going back and forth in my head for years trying to justify putting my head down and getting it done. Obviously there are an overwhelming amount of positives, my favorite and main reason for having it being the non-hormonal (copper) option. As a lady who has been on a plethora of different hormonal birth control options (the patch, estrogen pill, low dose estrogen and testosterone, progesterone only) I can honestly tell you that while some people may not experience many side effects, I had experienced plenty—everything from UTIs, low sex drive, high blood pressure, cystic acne (hoo man, a lot of it) on my face and also in other strange and terrible places, leg cramps (from the progesterone only pill), and heightened anxiety. All of these options, while viable because they all technically did their job and kept a child from existing inside of me, never really seemed ideal because I felt like I was changing my biology a little in order to accommodate them. Not to mention, it was causing problems in my relationships and making me more insecure in my appearance (my face had the texture of a balloon filled with rocks for a while). Long story short (–ish), when I heard about an implant that was non-hormonal and would last between 5-10 years, I was sold.
Carly AnnePublished 6 years ago in VivaWhat Does It Mean to Be a Female in This Society?
BODY IMAGE! SELF-ESTEEM! SHE'S TOO CONFIDENT! OH WAIT, NOW SHE'S TOO INSECURE! LOVE YOURSELF! BUT NOW SHE'S ACTING LIKE THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION!
Sexism
I am a sexist man! Society views the word sexist as unappealing. Yet, society also views men as prideful, insensitive, strong, overpowering, and privileged. Which for the most part, is true. Sexism is not a women’s issue, it is a men’s issue because of the obtuseness of men. Not obtuseness as an infant, yet as a blindfold to 1), women’s creativity, 2) their valuable nature, and 3) the strength of women.
Alexis puentePublished 6 years ago in VivaWhat Does it Mean, to Me, to Be a Feminist?
What does it mean, to me, to be a feminist? I brought my cat to the vet this week because she’s taken to peeing in the house. Worse than that, it was clear that there was blood in her urine. She wasn’t just peeing in the house to be a little snit. She was telling me that she wasn’t well and she was asking for help the only way she knew how.
Katey MyersPublished 6 years ago in VivaCancer
I remember being told numerous times by my doctor that he had never seen a cancer this aggressive and invasive in someone my age. I was way under the average woman's age for cervical cancer.
Krystal HowardPublished 6 years ago in VivaChild Marriage
This is a speech I wrote and delivered for an audience of 14/15-year-old girls and boys: Could you imagine being married in the next three years? Could you imagine being forced to be married in the next three years? Well, 28 girls every minute live this reality. Girls Not Brides aims to stop child marriage for boys and girls by campaigning to raise the legal age for marriage to 18.
Isabella JohnsonPublished 6 years ago in VivaWhat Is Beauty?
Why, as women, do we feel we need to conform to society’s expectations of what women look like or what we wear!? We, as women, are SO HARD on ourselves! We must have the skinny waist with the flat stomach, big butt, and wide hips, know the mastery of makeup, how to apply fake lashes and drawn on eyebrows. We aren’t mannequins or Barbie or even the celebrities we see on television or movies, but WE—yes, ladies, WE—listen to the media, listen to men who idolize these sex symbols, and we try and transform ourselves into what we are not!
Going Braless
Bras are uncomfortable, sweaty, expensive, and unhealthy for people to wear. So why do so many people go every day with one? They don't actually seem to provide any benefit aside from hiding your perky nipples from the outside world. At least to me, that is.
Blop KitsunePublished 6 years ago in VivaBeauty Pageants: Inspiring or Degrading?
Imagine a six-year-old girl. Perhaps she’s your daughter, or your niece, or even just a stranger. She sits in a chair for hours, getting layers and layers of makeup put on, completely changing how she looks, and even gets a spray tan, changing the color of her skin. She wears fake eyelashes and bleaches her teeth. This little girl is completely changed to look like a mini-adult, for people to judge whether or not she fits a mold they themselves created of how a child should look, looking nothing like herself.
Shannon ButlerPublished 6 years ago in VivaMy Empowerment Kick
Something has been on my mind for a few days now. I don’t know how to articulate it, but this is me attempting to. I have been single for some time now, and while I consider myself to be a “relationship person,” I think I am finally starting to get a full grasp on myself and what I believe.
Quinn ChapmanPublished 6 years ago in VivaLet's Take a Moment to Talk about Marion Zimmer Bradley
Nearly ten years ago, a book was put into my hands, as it was for thousands of other women before me; a beautiful work of fiction that would become a beacon of inspiration for many women walking a different spiritual path. It was a massive text that told the story of King Arthur, his queen, his knights, and his sister. This story was different though. Arthur wasn't the focus. Instead, his sister Morgaine was the focus and her path of spirituality. Arthur was merely a pawn. Morgaine had the focus and discipline we all craved to be dedicated to our faith. She was brutally honest about her struggles and strife. She was a heroine that we felt connected to because she had so many traits and personality quirks we could all relate to. The way the author, a stand out woman at a time when men dominated all industries, created a new world based on both history and fantasy captured all our minds, and had the power to rekindle our faith in a new way. Then, in 2014, Bradley's daughter had some things to say about her mother that rocked us all.
Diane NivensPublished 6 years ago in Viva