relationships
Trace the link between feminism and relationships from outdated norms to modern conventions including chivalry, working mothers, splitting the bill and beyond.
The Angry Mama's Boy
Have you ever had a man that loved you, but hated his mother? Loved her because that is what you’re supposed to do but hated her because she was an image of a mother that he could not find. His father was not around, so he was left to decipher the feminine side of life through the lens of his toxic mother. She would ridicule him to make him feel less of a man unless she was using him in some way. God forbid if he gets a woman and she has no man. She will make him her makeshift husband. She will make it a point to discredit his woman and interfere in the relationship, whenever she can. This mother is only a problem if the son allows her to be. It is not your job to go to battle with her, because if you do, you might lose him. If he does not stand up for you to her, especially when she's wrong, then you are just a body in a relationship. An irritant to the mother and a bargaining chip for the son, you do not want to be that person.
By L.L Walton6 years ago in Viva
Why Am I Single?
Why are you single? I used to cringe when someone asked me that question. It used to make me feel like I needed to be in a relationship. It made me feel like there was something wrong with being single. Then I started to think, what is wrong with being single? My conclusion....absolutely nothing! The question that should be asked is, why do you care so much?
By L.L Walton6 years ago in Viva
Do All Men Cheat??
I finally met a guy that could potentially be “the one.” We have talked for hours over the phone every day. We face timed. We texted constantly, all throughout the day. We discussed serious things like marriage, kids, and future plans. He told me that he was intrigued by me. He is out of state until next weekend because of his military position. I have never felt this close to someone I have not actually met in person.
By Jennifer Mosier6 years ago in Viva
I Thought I Was Gonna DIE !
First thing first, I am NOT claiming, by any means, to be a domestic violence victim, survivor, professional, etc. I feel like I'm constantly in a whirlpool. Either spinning out of control on the outer edge or drowning when getting sucked down to the center. This is simply a part of my life story that is weighing me down so I wanted to dispel it with purpose. I would rather get this off my chest in a constructive way to avoid me doing something I regret.
By LaLa Writes6 years ago in Viva
Up -Side/Down
It’s crazy to look over at the man you once loved, and know that he’s about to kill you. To think of how many times you’ve laid there at night, sleeping, while he watches over you and plots your demise. I wish this was the first, and pray to the Gods that it’s the last time I’m ever within an inch my life, from this crazy repeat cycle of endless battery and relentless savagery. They say that it must be what I want, that I choose these monsters, or that I bring it out in them. Maybe it’s my own demons haunting me, possessing every poor soul that ever gets comfortable enough to stay. Maybe.
By Sasha Stimson6 years ago in Viva
Giving up on Shaving Doesn't Mean You're Giving up on Yourself
Why Do We Shave? Ever since I started growing hair anywhere other than my head, I've been shaving it off, or waxing it off, creaming it off, threading it off, basically trying anything that would keep those nasty hairs away. I bloomed early so my razor journey started when I was around eleven. I didn't understand why I felt this need to get rid of the hair, it was instinctual. Of course now I understand that it mostly had to do with the fact that I had access to a television. Every Saturday when I sat down to my cartoons on Milkshake, Channel 5, the advert breaks would bring with them countless beautiful women gliding pink razors up their legs and then stroking their perfect, blemish and cellulite free legs, ohing and ahing at the silky smoothness. So, it was obvious that female hair, unless growing luxuriously atop your head and flowing down ones back in a seductive manner, just wasn't meant to be there.
By Bessie Burns6 years ago in Viva
Black 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.
By Tiffany FC6 years ago in Viva
Don't Kiss Frogs
It’s easy to get caught up in the magic and nostalgia of old-fashioned fairytales without considering what underlying messages they may convey. Of course parents aren’t telling their kids stories with the intention of giving them an unhealthy idea of relationships. Regardless, this may be what is happening. There is a stereotype of women getting into relationships with toxic men in the hopes of “fixing” them. Many of us saw a great example of this shortly after the release of the film Joker (2019) in the form of a meme, a tweet by @TamiDaBushPilot that read “*watching the Joker movie* (under breath) …I could fix him”. Just like most stereotypes, this was derived from a real-life pattern. This begs the question of just why so many women find themselves drawn to troubled men. For the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with the example of a heterosexual relationship wherein the woman wants to “fix” the man, simply because that’s what the stereotype commonly refers to.
By Lucky Moon6 years ago in Viva
