Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Raising Girls, Raising Boys
I'm a mother. I have two girls that I am bent on NOT letting fall for the same bullshit I did. I will not watch them devalue themselves or shoulder the weight of a sexist America. I will encourage their self-awareness and their belief in themselves. I will foster their creativity and willingness to try. They will be soft and strong and see in a spectrum. Convicted, careful, beautiful, and smart. They can be whole people, accomplished and tolerant without being doormats. They will be better than me. They will be better than this mindset, running rampant over my generation and those before.
By Johnna LaFaith8 years ago in Viva
Does Free Will Really Exist?
I was sitting in church this Sunday. This day I was so in tune with just me and the higher power. I was in my own head giving thanks to the higher power for my life and the life of my loved ones. The pastor kept referencing free will. This idea that we all have 100% choice over our everyday actions given to us by god to choose a life that guides you either on a path of destruction or a path to everlasting life. Do I believe that we have free will? My answer is a flat-out no. In my views, no government system that exists on our globe fully gives humans that capacity for free choice because all practices are taught within systems and structures. There are always limits to how we dress, communicate, and exist around each other.
By SAYHERNAME Morgan Sankofa8 years ago in Viva
Things Every Grown Woman Needs
For most women, life is stressful and very, very busy. In this age of doing it all, we might overlook some of the things that might make us feel better, help save time, and add a touch of style to our homes without breaking the bank. From essential gear to fun gadgets, check out this list of things that every grown woman needs in her life. They'll save you time, save you money, and make everything from entertaining your friends to parenting a little easier.
By Emily McCay8 years ago in Viva
In Defense Of Minor Characters
We have seen what’s on the road. We’ve seen the drug hazed, beautiful rot that followed a generation of lost boys, straight out of Peter Pan, as they searched a postwar concealer-soaked country for an example–or even just an explanation–of masculinity and what it means to be a man. We’ve seen this trauma, but it would be foolish and a tad bit pig-headed to think that the trauma of the lost boys was the only one out there. Minor Characters is not only important, but it’s essential, because it shows us the generation of lost girls. The girls under glass and in the bell jar.
By Destiny Smith8 years ago in Viva
Suddenly Promiscuous
I was thirteen. I had never been kissed. I was an innocent girl. I knew about sex, as much as someone who wasn't planning on having it can know. I had a friend. She had been my friend since we were only five and six (she was a year older than I). She had "dated" this man that was in his 20s. They slept together and everything, which she was just elated about. I thought it was kind of gross to be with a guy so much older than her, but that's how she was. They later broke up. She went through a drastic change with depression and excess sleeping around. At the time, I thought that was just her getting older and that would be the road she had chosen. Now, I don't think that was the case, but we will get back to her shortly.
By Vanna James8 years ago in Viva
Being a Woman in 2017. Top Story - September 2017.
Women have come a long way from what we were associated with many years ago. However, some people still believe that we should still be associated with the times of the past. This may be because it is what they have learned and what they have believed in, but it might also be that they don't want to change from the past.
By Tanisha Dagger8 years ago in Viva
Don’t Mistake My Confidence for Self-Absorption
Women suffer, silently. Before we’re even taught basic arithmetic, the idea that we need to count calories to maintain our worth as humans is wedged into our core beliefs. We’re taught to receive the world as passive observers, to keep our voices low and our bodies invisible. To be seen and not heard. Can you hear me now? We fold ourselves up like paper cranes in public. We shrink ourselves, we stunt our own growth in hopes that we’ll one day be as inconspicuous as a blade of grass. Light and ethereal, gentle as a plume of smoke from a candle. We’re barely there. A real woman is effortlessly beautiful and brilliant and kind, but don’t you dare talk about your successes you narcissistic bitch, didn’t anyone ever teach you to be humble?
By Elizabeth Olson8 years ago in Viva
Domestic Abuse & Me
My nearest and dearest often describe me as strong, loud, resilient, and many other terms similar (mainly loud). My patients have referred to me as "firm but fair" and "take no shit." So you can imagine why for someone like me admitting I was in trouble, admitting that I needed help and admitting I WAS a victim was so hard for me. But, as a nurse in women's services, I couldn't cope with what I felt would be hypocrisy. I need to practice what I preach. All that has kept me going recently is turning the worst time of my entire life into a positive experience, trying to turn myself into a positive role model. Showing my little sister, my patients, other women, and my loved ones that we all deserve to be safe in our homes, in our minds, bodies, and the world we live in.
By Natasha Smith8 years ago in Viva
Discovery Through Resting B**** Face
I have worked in customer service for the past four years, since I was nineteen. I’m now twenty-three and my everyday experiences have not changed much since my first day. I imagine they’re the same experiences that other females have either waitressing, selling coffees, or even walking down the street. I have yet to talk to a man that has had a similar experience, but I’m sure there are a few out there that have had that one customer (or several) that have made their skin crawl or even made them consider quitting the minimum wage job. Because in reality, is it worth it?
By Katrina Thornley8 years ago in Viva
