Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
The Red Dress Among the Sea of Black at the Golden Globes
In case you've been hiding under a stone at the bottom of a volcano this past week, you are probably aware that the #timesup movement happened at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards early this January. Attendees wore black in support against the growing sexual harassment stories that have surfaced in light of the #metoo campaign that swept the world like a broom to dust. Actresses from Oprah Winfrey to Kristen Bell, Gal Gadot and Amy Poehler all wore black in commemoration of the two epic-sized movements, but one beautiful red dress stood out from the wave of darkness.
By Delilah Jayde8 years ago in Viva
Body Image
Body image can be very important to a person. Thanks to social media and the internet, there is a stigma that most individuals that struggle with their body image are women, when in fact it's 50/50 between both women and men. However, men don’t talk about the issues, whether it is their bodies or their health, unlike some women.
By Tanisha Dagger8 years ago in Viva
“I Am Not a Victim, I Am a Survivor”
“I am not a victim, I am a survivor” and “my rapist doesn’t know he is a rapist”: a few common phrases you hear from women and men who have been raped. I am here to call bullshit, but first let me tell you about myself. My name isn’t important, but my story is, I am a sophomore in college and I was raped my junior year of high school. My boyfriend at the time and I had just gotten in a huge fight and I needed a distraction, so my friends took me to a party. While there I had a lot to drink and I met this boy. This boy had a smile that lit up the room and was throwing back drinks like a frat guy, he caught my eye the second he walked in. However, no matter the fight or the amount of alcohol I would never be unfaithful, so I continued on with my night and had fun with my friends. We played beer pong and danced on tables, eventually as everybody does while drinking I had to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t find any of my friends, so I ventured off alone, a big mistake on my part, spoiler alert. I walked up the stairs and quickly grabbed the handrail because I was very dizzy.
By Erin Connor8 years ago in Viva
6 Things Women in Relationships Should Know About Money
I am a firm believer in being an independent woman. In a relationship or not, it is so important to be able to stand on your own two feet. I’ve gone through a series of horrible relationships, been single as fuck and married to my work, and I am now in a very comfortable and committed long term relationship (that I hope will be marked for forever).
By Samantha Bentley8 years ago in Viva
Thinking a Few Steps Ahead
There’s been so much talk about sexual offenders in the celebrity circuit, I felt the need to address the issue. As a woman who is against the horrors of rape, I also believe that there are so many levels to these accusations and while “no means no,” we do have to start to implement some solutions to help each other. With the recent story of Aziz Ansari hitting the press, I found myself engaged in a debate on Facebook over a friend’s thread. We were clearly not going to agree on our stance in the matter. My opinion was very general, we as women need to work towards preventative measures and start thinking a few steps ahead of ourselves in situations that could prove to be threatening. A little preventative maintenance could go a long way and while it might not save us all, it could definitely help improve our current status with this disturbing growing culture of sexual assault and rape.
By Karina Nistal8 years ago in Viva
What It Means to Be a Women
I just wanted to talk about some things that us as women do (not all but some). My name is Essence and I was scrolling through my social media when I saw a question that popped out to me. What it means to be a women? For some women it means you need to keep yourself a certain way for men. Or staying home with the kids and making sure the house is in order. Now not all women are alike, some do it for themselves and they don’t care what anyone say. Let’s be honest though, as women we talk a lot of crap about each other instead of building each other up (some, not all). To me I don't think that there is one perfect women, but there are great women. I don't think wives have to stay home cleaning and taking care of the kids. It's give and take and men should do just as much as women. I feel like women don't have to cook for men. We do all this stuff just because. I feel like if I cook today then you can cook tomorrow, if I do laundry today then you can do it tomorrow, and if I picked to kids up from school today then you can do it tomorrow. There's so much that we put up for to please men. But I'm only 22 years old, so in my generation we are expected to do the most. The men of my generation (some, not all) think women with huge breasts, big butts, long hair, nails done, and light skin are perfect. But they also want us to be freaky but if we show our freaky side, then we a hoe. When men cheat it's okay but when girls do we are sluts and other things. If we are single and doing us, then we are thots. Men want us look and act a certain way for them instead of being ourselves. Again, I only mean some men, not all. If we don't have our nails done then we nasty because we don't keep ourselves up. Some of us have style and some of us just can't afford to have a style but it's like if we don't have to new Jordan's or some kind of Gucci, then we broke. Well I'm sorry but I ain't paying that just to look good. I think it's stupid all the things we have to do just for some men to accept us. If we don't have long hair then we bald, do we wear wigs, weave, braids, and ponytails. Now a lot of us actually like the extra things: makeup, piercing, lashes, etc. But when we do all those things and we finally get a man, they cheat on us and lie to us anyways; we're supposed to be queens but get treated like peasant. To me, being a women means being yourself. If you don't want to do the extra just to look good for men then don't. Some of us like it but if you don't then stop spending extra money stressing yourself out. Shoot, don't shave if you don't want to. Be free to be who you want to be. Do what makes you happy. But make sure you always handling your responsibilities. That's what being a women means to me. Not giving a damn and doing you no matter what. I want women to start building each other up and for men for one moment. I want women to accomplish all their dreams and do what makes them happy no matter what anyone say. That’s what being a women means.
By Essence Lee8 years ago in Viva
From Dating JFK to Potentially Portraying Peter Pan: Here Are 6 Interesting Facts About the Great Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn has remained an icon for generations due in part to her remarkable on-screen charisma, fashion sense and awe-inspiring philanthropic work. As the embodiment of grace whose image remains a staple on virtually every young woman's wall in the form of a Breakfast At Tiffany's poster, Hepburn managed to captivate the movie-going audience in such classics as Roman Holiday, Funny Face and Sabrina, just to name a few.
By Ghezal Amiri8 years ago in Viva
Tired of Explaining the Importance of the Aziz Ansari Story? This Might Help!
Imagine you are pulling out of a parking lot. You check your surroundings and everything looks clear so you start slowly backing out. Suddenly, an Audi going much faster than it should zips around the corner and hits your back taillight. The driver that hit you rolls down their window, sees the moderate damage, and says, “Didn’t see you there” and drives away. Baffled by the series of events that have just transpired you sit in silence for a moment while you process. By the driver's demeanor, you suspect they were intoxicated. Before the car pulls out of sight you instinctively snap a picture of their license plate and proceed to call your insurance company to report the incident. They promise to look into it. A few days later you get a call from the driver-who-hit-you’s insurance company. They remind you that some people are hit going 75 mph on the freeway and that you shouldn't be making such a big deal over a little fender bender. You try and plead your case again. You recount that the driver appeared intoxicated and that the driver committed a hit and run—but they cut you off. They ignore everything you've just said and bring up that the person you are accusing has a car that is more valuable than yours and the repairs are going to be more costly for them, so why are you complaining again? They regress further and tell your photo isn't enough evidence, there is nothing they can do for you, and hang up the phone.
By Claressa Slaughter8 years ago in Viva
