Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Growing Up with Freckles
My story starts off when I was around 8 years old. I didn't have a single freckle and was as fresh faced as a baby. My grandmother was the only person in my family to have a large quantity of freckles covering her whole body and I often asked her what they were. She told me, "they're sunspots, sweetheart. If you don't cover up when in the sun, you'll get them too. Make sure to wear sunscreen." As a little rebel and being forgetful, I hardly ever wore sunscreen and ran outside all summer doing various activities and getting sunburnt and living life.
By Meikan Dahl8 years ago in Viva
'Doctor Who': Fans Claim the Thirteenth Doctor's Outfit Is "Not Flattering Enough"
The outfit that Jodi Whittaker will wear when she takes over the Tardis as the Thirteenth Doctor has been revealed, and just like the reveal of the new Doctor as a woman, has divided fans. While the outfit is just as quirky as you'd expect from The Doctor, including plenty of throwbacks to the costumes of Doctor's past, some Whovians have complained that it is not "flattering" enough for the character's new female form. To this, another group of fans argues, "Why does it have to be?"
By Kristy Anderson8 years ago in Viva
Sexually Harassed
It wasn't my fault. I don’t care what the lawyers say. Sometimes things happen that are not our fault. I was standing there waiting for the bus like I do everyday. It was cold that day, the first day of spring break. I had on a sweater, some jeans and boots that all the girls wear, not misleading or provocative in any way. I’d just missed the bus and it wasn't coming again for half an hour.
By Kerry Mack8 years ago in Viva
I'm Angry
Anger cannot be silenced. Even if the words aren't spoken, anger will bubble up and excrete its toxic ooze of existence in our actions, our demeanor, our very being. With the onslaught of sexual assault and harassment accusations coming to light throughout our entertainment and political spectrum, it's both an enlightening and a burden on sexual assault survivors/victims. I am a victim, I don't know if I can ever be a survivor.
By Betsy Calden8 years ago in Viva
Surviving Sexual Violence. Feminist Perspectives
Author of the book: Liz Kelly Year of publication: 1988 Book title: Surviving Sexual Violence Publisher: Polity Press Liz Kelly was born in 1951 and she has been a feminist researcher and activist ever since she got involved in Women’s Liberation Movement in 1973. She also worked in her local refuge, Rape Crisis group, and Women’s Centre (Kelly, 1988). From 1987 she has been working in the Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), University of North London and her involvement also include managing a Council of Europe group of specialists for developing a plan of action on violence against women (Radford, Friedberg & Harne, 2000). Kelly has written several books, journal articles and papers on violence against women and children and her book, Surviving Sexual Violence, discussed below, was published more than a decade after the first refuge for abused women opened in England, followed by several support groups and projects world-wide for battered women (Kelly, 1988). For her, feminism is a belief that women are oppressed which leads to a responsibility for eliminating that oppression by being a part of the fight against it (Kelly, 1990). Among the projects she was involved in is a funded research for a local authority that was aiming to investigate services in Hammersmith and Fulham for women facing sexual abuse from their male partners (McGibbon, Cooper & Kelly, 1989 apud Kelly, 1990).
By Monica Panait8 years ago in Viva
Oh, My... George Takei, 'Star Trek' Star, Latest Hit With Sexual Assault Allegations
My heart hurt a little when I saw the item on Google Trends this morning. There, sitting at #14 on Google Trends, were three terms I had hoped I wouldn't see: "George Takei, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, groping."
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in Viva
Can You Take Birth Control and Antibiotics Together?
It's important to know which combinations of birth control and antibiotics do not clash, and which result in a chance to get pregnant. When in doubt, use a backup method of contraception like a condom if you are not positive on which choice to make, or if you cannot gain access to a professional's opinion. The combo of birth control and antibiotics might seem like a tricky topic, but truthfully it's pretty straightforward.
By Kelsey Lange8 years ago in Viva
Feminist Movement Leaders You Must Know
Feminism has had its fair share of leaders, but recognizing the most celebrated of them all isn't so difficult once the veil of history has been lifted. Some might feel that the things we do or the things we say will eventually if made worthy, grant us some sort of stardom. Some sort of purpose forever etched into history. However, this is not the case.
By Donald Gray8 years ago in Viva
Girls Please Read
I am writing this because I am tried of seeing young, beautiful girls striving endlessly to fulfill society's modern day expectations and almost kill themselves in the process. Instagram feeds and the far-too-easy accessibility to anything and everything on the internet puts so much unnecessary pressure on young females (and has shown to have detrimental effects on mental health... unsurprisingly). So although I realise one post isn't going to end the pandemic, I thought that there needed to be one more nugget of realistic advice and perspective, so here it is.
By Aurora Cassidy8 years ago in Viva
What’s Wrong with Equal Pay Day
Friday, November 10 marks the Equal Pay Day in the UK, which means that from now on, all women in the UK will work effectively for free for the rest of 2017. That sounds awful. And it's also really bad that currently the pay gap, based on hourly earning, is at 9.1 percent. (1)
By Zlatka Larsen8 years ago in Viva
Scream
She brings her hand to her mouth to muffle her scream. She hears his footsteps pierce the silence of the warm summer night. She hears him pause to slip his shoes off half way down the hall. She hears his sock covered feet shuffle along the wood floor, knowing when he passes her brother’s door, then her sister’s door. Her brother and sister are never bothered because they are his. She is not. She belongs to her mother. She belongs to another man, a man who had left long ago and never returned. She had never cared. She knew he was never coming back.
By Elisa Brooks8 years ago in Viva
