body
Feminism demands a future free of fat shaming, body obsession and the male gaze.
Women Hold Up Half the Sky
Women Hold Up Half the Sky The room had flowered wallpaper—tiny pink flowers on a taupe background. On the wall, a mother and child rocked gently, sweetly, under a breeze-blown willow. In the room itself, surrounded by poles, tubes, and silver things, a clean bed quietly waited, a large white pillow poised to cradle a weary head. Over the side rail hung a thick, fluffy tan blanket, needed as much for cushioning as for warmth. Across from the bed, a tall, burnt-honey wooden cupboard stood, doors open, offering hangers and extra blankets. A freckled ivy sprawled over the top. A kind young orderly attended to my safety and comfort as he eased my swollen body from the wheelchair to the bed.
Lisa SmithPublished 4 years ago in VivaMurky Halloween
As a freshman in college, I had never been to high school, and therefore, really had little to no social life experience. I associated with adults primarily and didn't know how to interact with kids my own age (17). I had never really had any experiences with alcohol before and didn't really know what it would do to me.
Katarina CirilloPublished 4 years ago in VivaThe Sins Of Maryam
Everyone has a dark past. Including Maryam. And hers is something too humiliating to tell. Too vivid to forget. A memory she so desperately prays to erase from her mind. Maryam always prays. Raised as a Muslim, she was taught and trained to oblige and beseech for God’s forgiveness. Five times a day. Yet she can never seem to shake off her past. It keeps lurking around. Stalking. Waiting to pounce and stab her in the back. The more she tries to break away, the more it strangles her. Her dark past is one odd story. One with no marked beginning nor definitive end.
secretsonneteerPublished 4 years ago in VivaIt's Only Logical: A Sexual Trauma Memoir
My eyes appear in the dark, the jade encircling the noir. I maul an idea until I notice a rhythm, a pattern. My pupils focus; I see the downward motion—pushing, pulling, biting, I throw my head back, hands down, unleashing a compact bliss. My own depth darts to me, moving toward the French doors, looking for leaves that sway until the incapacitating winter. The wheat bristles wave and the leaves shake me. My mind runs to something banal as my hand runs down my body; my skin awakens. The twilight air flows in, and my mind, awake, turns toward my heart, inducing an anxious bliss that wakes me up and simultaneously kills me. To breathe at once into consciousness, an anxious flush makes way through nervous bundles and the axonal abyss, shooting stars into my heart. This rush is a shock that tumbles me into the darkness, into the woods and looking at myself while looking at everything else. The waking are startled in a hunt for green, seeking a letter that lost itself on its way to me. Like the purloined letter, I remain unaware of the message’s contents.
#MeToo
I know I'm a bit late to this movement but better late than never; and when better to dig up past trauma than the middle of the night ya know?
Katie ParishPublished 4 years ago in VivaMilitary Reckoning
Right now, all over the news and social media is the horrific story of Vanessa Guillen and her tragic murder. The Army investigators say they have found no evidence of her being sexually harassed but her family thinks otherwise and I'm inclined to agree with them.Her death is one of many casualties of the United States military and its toxic culture issues. The military has long had a problem with sexual harassment/assault within its ranks and a reporting/ justice system that often harms the victims further. A large group of women veterans/servicewomen wrote a letter outlining demands to improve the failures of the service, titled “Women Vets & Servicewomen Demand #JusticeforVanessaGuillen - 4 July 2020”. I encourage you to give it a read, so many women risked putting their names out there and standing up for justice, that you can at least spend a moment to view it.
Mikayla DanielsPublished 4 years ago in VivaTelling My Story
It all came to a head when I was 8 years old. The sexual abuse I had suffered for years was progressively getting worse. It started out rather innocently at first. My uncle cornered me more times than I can count while he was babysitting me. Sometimes when we were alone, he would grab me close to him and force me into a hug. He rubbed my bum in a circular motion that I came to despise. He said, "Come here and give your uncle a kiss.” I obeyed because I thought I had to. "Now give me a bigger one. Open your mouth,” he said as he pulled my head towards his.
Stacy DavenportPublished 4 years ago in VivaIts the price WE HAVE to pay I Don't Think So
Right now it doesn't matter if you are in the military or not, if you were ever sexually assaulted, molested, harassed or any way man handled in a way that you don't appreciate or you said no too; then you are my Battle. You are Vanessa Guillen's battle, because we have been there, I was just the unfortunate one to live.
Why I didn't speak out
February 2018, I was in the midst of a crisis. I was in an abusive relationship at the tender age of 17. Now a question you might ask is, why did you stay with him? Well, any woman that has been abused by a spouse, will say this. "I loved him".
Cheyenne HarrisonPublished 4 years ago in VivaPro-choice or pro-life?
Pro-choice or pro-life. These are the two options and possible answers when it comes to the question 'What is your opinion on abortion?' I will be honest with you all and say from the start that I am pro-choice, and in the next few minutes (and words) I will explain to you why. And I will do that by sharing some of the views of the opposition and why I disagree with them.
Seven to Twenty-Five
The sexualization of my body began when I was seven years old. During second grade recess, three boys used to chase me around the playground until they were able to hold me down under the slide and kiss me as I struggled. I’m sure to 5 adults, it seemed like harmless fun, boys being boys. To me, it was unfair that not only was I overpowered by three dipshits, but no one else saw this behavior as an issue. Finally, I told my brother (who was nine by the way), and one day at recess, it just stopped. They were afraid of me. They began to run from me. A nine-year-old had done more for me in one day than five adults had done for the entirety of the wrestling and unwanted kissing. I was seven.
Jasmine TurnerPublished 4 years ago in VivaThe Stereotypes that Comes with Birth Control
I was laying in bed watching Youtube videos on my phone and a video entitled, "Straight TikTok" captured my attention. TikTok is a popular short video sharing app that has an algorithm that recommends videos for its users and jokingly many people say there is a gay side of TikTok where there are members of the LGBTQIA+ community and Straight TikTok which consists of Trump lovers. Anyhow, one of the videos that the Youtuber showed was one where a user says that when a girl says she is using birth control for cramps he knows the real reason is for sex.
Tiffany WellsPublished 4 years ago in Viva