vintage
A look back at gender politics throughout history including vintage feminism, misconceptions about women, the evolution of women's rights and more.
- Top Story - October 2022
Madonna and Penthouse
Over the weekend Madonna shared an Instagram story reflecting on the 30 year anniversary of the controversial photography book S.E.X. published in 1992, which arguably was the apex of her status as cultural agitator. Madonna wrote:
OG CollectionPublished 2 years ago in Viva How bad could Europe’s energy crisis get this winter?
As cold weather comes to Europe this autumn, energy prices are rising. A main reason for the cost increase is Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The Army's Miraculous Food Invention You Never Knew About
Even though they’re not the most glamorous of topics, ration packs have become essential during military campaigns all over the world, and especially so in war zones where hot meals aren’t always readily available to the soldiers on the front line. But although many different types of rations have been developed throughout history, one particular innovation by the United States Army back in the 1940s has been virtually forgotten, and it’s actually quite miraculous when you take into account how long it can last without spoiling. Here’s what it is and why it’s so ingenious.
Oemer YILDIRIMPublished 2 years ago in VivaNaked Place
I constantly really feel a twinge of discomfort whenever a person tells me they're trying to do something fantastic, whether that is transform their diet, start an organization, start exercising regularly, lower their alcohol usage, travel, return to school, or obtain a complete evening's sleep every evening.
kanchan chauhanPublished 2 years ago in VivaA Day In The Life of An 18th Century British Prostitute
"Come, my lord, come along, let us drink a glass together." "I'll go with you if you please." Prostitution was prominent across England in the 18th and 19th centuries. There were two main reasons for this - urbanization and the middle-class getting access to power and money.
Kamna KirtiPublished 2 years ago in VivaThe Feminine Ideal
Who is the ideal woman? Is she calm and quiet? Is she caring and motherly? Is she sassy, bold and shamelessly sexy? From the Republican Mother of the 1700s to 1920’s promiscuous flappers, the “ideal woman” has changed drastically in America’s history. Not only limited to visual aspects, personality and nature were important parts in defining a “model” woman. To track the development of idealized femininity, we need to look at the trends, limitations, influences, and foundations women were bound to when exploring their femininity.
An Ode to Hilda: The Plus-Size Pinup
Hilda was one of the OG pinup queens. She graced calendars in the age of Veronica Lake and Betty Grable. Hilda was different, though.
Robyn ReischPublished 3 years ago in Viva- Top Story - April 2021
This Diploma from 1923 Shows How Far Women Have Come in 100 Years
There’s more than enough stuff in the world already, so I get practically everything I own secondhand. I do it both for environmental reasons and because vintage stuff is way cooler! From clothing to furniture to appliances to home décor, I’m constantly on the lookout for unique items that people have cast aside for reasons that shall remain forever a mystery to me.
1987: The Year I went to Second Base
I grew up in the 80s. A time of big hair, curling irons and Kylie Minogue’s Locomotion. It was 1987. The year of Whitney Houston’s, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’. We were all screaming at the top of our voices when Bon Jovi’s, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ came on the radio. The Top 40 was something that I picked up from the music store every week. It was printed on a sickly yellow A5 paper. Aretha Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Sadly only 8% of women make up the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Do better.
Melanie CharlesPublished 3 years ago in VivaClassic Black Beauties
Out of curiosity I was typing away at a Crossword Puzzle from "It's A Black Thang.com". The online puzzle bursted with historical facts of black past. There was one question that stood out! "In 1901 who was the first President to bring Booker T. Washington to a White House Dinner?" I was stumped! So, when I searched.. unsurprisingly it was Theodore Roosevelt.. husband of Eleanor Roosevelt pioneer feminist and the progressive politicians of our colored history. This led me to another fun fact. The first black artist to perform in the White House! ( Who I will reveal first...) Using this time for Women's Month I will chronicle the black beauties of our past.
SAYHERNAME Morgan SankofaPublished 4 years ago in Viva5 Surprising Geisha Facts
They Aren't Sex Workers. This might be one of the most common myths and one that was helped along by the book Memoirs of a Geisha, which was written by a man who had hardly any real contact with Geisha and traditional Japanese society. Explaining the role of Geisha in cultures where they don't exist is also very hard, which might have led to people assuming they were sex workers at first. Geisha are artists, literally. They keep the arts of spoken poetry, brush painting, traditional music, dance, and instruments alive. These are all pursuits that require the support of others and that take a long time to master. Geisha also train in the art of speaking and in social graces.
Jessica RifflePublished 5 years ago in VivaAnais Nin
Anais Nin was an American, twentieth century author, born in Neuilly-sur-France in 1903. Both her parents were artists. Her father was a Cuban pianist and composer. Her mother was a classically trained Cuban singer of French and Danish descent. Nin is most well known for her journals and erotic literature. Nin was a product of the Surrealism Movement in art and literature which was “... a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an absolute reality, a surreality.”
MissRuth GreenPublished 6 years ago in Viva