body
Feminism demands a future free of fat shaming, body obsession and the male gaze.
Why We Smile at Men Who Sexually Harass Us
Why are you always interacting with them? They wouldn't keep talking to you if you didn't involve them.” It's late at night and bitterly cold, and I'm waiting for a bus with my then-boyfriend at a bus stop. We've just left a show and are trying to get home, but our evening has been disrupted, and it's all my fault, apparently.
Mind & RelationshipsPublished 3 years ago in VivaBetrayed By My Body
Trigger warning: miscarriages It starts with taking multiple ovulation tests a day, tracking my LH levels, documenting and obsessing over every detail. Then comes the two week wait before I can begin to start taking pregnancy tests, but I don’t wait the two weeks and start taking tests at five DPO waiting to see that second line appear. Thirteen DPO and there it is, March’s cycle was successful!
Periods: Beautiful, Magical, Wild & True
Why do women shut off such an integral part of their being? Why do we call something that is so beautiful, so magical, so wild and true, stupid and annoying?
Aimee McInnesPublished 3 years ago in VivaMy Sexual Assault Story
Pins and Needles by Jenny Bornios Rojas He took it away. My childhood, my dreams, hope. The hope that life could get better. But instead it got worse. He took away my innocence and the worth of my scream For when I screamed for him to stop He did not, only laughed and left a bruise on both my legs. What I wish he would’ve taken away Are the scars on my thigh from his nails digging in So I asked myself after Is my scream worth anything if no one is around to hear it? My words became stuck in my throat They became pins and needles that hurt me if I spoke. He left me useless and shattered Empty and defective I lost all the love that I had saved for myself. For it to be replaced with hate. A hate that I so wish I could share. But who to share it with? I can’t help but think it was my fault. I let him touch me. I let him rape me. I told my mother She said her brother-in-law would never do anything of the sort Yet, he was capable of taking my will to live away. I told myself, And I still can’t believe it. I don’t want to Because I fear that I’ll shatter again Even though I haven’t glued all the shards together. I was forced to sit at family gatherings where he stared at me He gave me a wolfish smile I could feel the anger boil inside me, ready to tell all. But the pins and needles made holes in my throat. So I closed my mouth and let the sun say goodbye. And let the night fall over me. And as I lay on my bed, I sob. I scream into my pillow no longer caring about the pins and needles in my throat. The wound opens again And I pray to whatever is up there That one day I’ll be able to speak.
Jenny B.R.Published 3 years ago in VivaThe First Step.
These are kinda tight, I thought as I wiggled left and right trying to squeeze into a pair of jeans. The fluorescent white light caught all the bumps in my thighs, whilst the precariously placed mirrors made sure I saw parts only a lover should. A few years ago, this size would have hung off me.
Katherine PollockPublished 3 years ago in VivaThings They Never Tell You
It starts out like a normal day. You're sitting on the couch watching Netflix, you're washing the dishes from the night before or maybe you're concentrating super hard at work; your normal is no longer normal after today. Were you expecting a period that never arrived? Have you been trying for years and today is your nerve racking day to test? Or maybe like myself, you had no symptoms at all that Mother Nature's gift was being delivered. Something feels different, something has changed.
Olivia Tucker-WightPublished 3 years ago in VivaStretch Marks: Turn On Or Turn Off?
We all love perfection. We want to bed a sexy, flawless skinned, perfect, firm bodied, hot to the core lover with the best libido, sexual rhythm, and energy.
I was Sexually Assaulted.. Shouting My Story to the World
There is something important I need to address. Throughout the last couple of years I have noticed that people have been using their platforms to speak their truths on sexual assault in the industry (#METOO), work place, homes, etc. I’ve always considered myself a courageous, confident, outspoken women, except for when it’s come to this topic and my personal life.
Coco FelicianoPublished 3 years ago in VivaNew mum
NEW MUM March 2nd 2021 will be the date that changed my life forever. I gave birth to a beautiful happy little boy weighing 8 pound 19 ounces, he has light brown hair and big blue eyes. He is the perfect blend of my partner and i.
Madison CosentinoPublished 3 years ago in VivaSkinny To Fat
To say I have a complex relationship with my body is an understatement. To be one hundred percent honest, I'm still in denial about it. I was thin for most of my life. My weight would linger between 105 and 115. When I was in high school a teacher threatened to call my mom and tell her she thought that I was too thin. I wish I could say that her words had no impact on me, but they did. I had never thought of myself as too thin because I wasn't starving myself, and no one had ever commented on my weight before. I was eating three meals a day, but I was also exercising for at least an hour a day (including karate lessons). I felt hurt, ashamed, and suddenly aware of my body in a way that I hadn't been before. Why had my teacher approached me in that way?
- Top Story - April 2021
He Destroyed My Home.
I am writing the following story because I want to let go of something that has made a deep impact in my life. Organizing my endlessly scattered thoughts works best for me when I write them out, so here it goes. It is no secret that I often speak my mind, but I suck at communicating about the really, really, deep things that torment me. I have gotten better but every day is still a struggle. Just to sort of set the stage, I will start off by saying that I am diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 1 and Adult Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. My story of my experience plays a particularly important role in my mental health. It diminished my ability to communicate, to heal, to be strong and courageous for myself. It turned my entire world turned dark. I have been described as unpredictable, out of control, impossible to manage and crazy. I have been told that I am a monster, and my life is worthless. I have been told that I destroy everything I touch. I conditioned myself to shrink for others, to not upset or defy them. I stayed quiet and bottled everything inside. I smiled and said, “it’s okay”, when really, I just wanted to scream and beg for someone to make the pain stop. I accepted toxicity into my life because I believed that it is what I deserved. Every single person I have ever met knows a completely different version of me. The versions of myself constantly change, as is life. And as a result, I am a variation of factors. Yet, there are only 3 people who know me entirely. Every single secret. Every single insecurity, down to the last detail. Every single emotion, mood swing and trigger. Every single thought and opinion. Every single amount of excruciating emotional and mental pain. Every single trauma. Everything that has damaged me. These 3 people's influence on my decision to finally share my story with the world will be mentioned in my following story. I had held a secret inside of me for 7 years, one that I thought I would never be able to face. I denied it all these years, repressing it so far that I eventually did not think about it at all. All it took for me to finally accept the truth was seeing a stranger’s face in a bar, increasing self-awareness and the compassion, and understanding of very 3 important people. I have finally realized how important I am, not in a cocky way, but in the way that I matter. My story matters, my healing matters, my life truly does matter. I am not staying quiet about who I am and why I am the way I am anymore. And because of this moment of clarity, I am ready to speak about something that happened to me when I was 18. Something that I tried so hard to forget, but ultimately could not escape. This is my story about the night someone stole what was mine.
Sarah CarverPublished 3 years ago in Viva HYDROSALPHINX
HYDROSALPHINX A hydrosalpinx is a blocked, dilated, fluid-filled fallopian tube Hydrosalpinx may occur as an isolated adnexal lesion or as one component of a complex adnexal lesion that has caused distal tubal occlusion . The most common cause of distal tubal occlusion and hydrosalpinx is pelvic inflammatory disease. Other causes include endometriosis, peritubal adhesions from a previous operation, tubal cancer, and tubal pregnancy.
Shafeena IGXPublished 3 years ago in Viva