activism
Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.
Teach Us Not to Rape!
Throughout the years, rape is a topic which is on headlines, mainly because of the increasing rates of rape. It is quite normal that when society is confronted with a social ill, society will construct mechanisms which help us from being victims of rape. However, we often forget to teach ourselves not to rape.
By Dimpho Moepane7 years ago in Viva
Never That Kind of Beautiful
Beauty standards. They travel, they change, but really, they stay the same: so hard to achieve. However, for some they are easier to reach. People with money, able-bodied people and also, you guessed it, White people. European or Eurocentric beauty standards are a very strange concept when you sit down and think about it. This idea that people from multiple ends of the world are desperately trying to look like the sometimes opposite of what they naturally look like, is quite absurd. I also think this topic is interesting because for White people, it is something they most likely will never think about before hearing it from the mouth of people of colour. This article will give, hopefully, a voice to women who have been affected by this very racially narrow vision of female beauty, and how they learned to find beauty in themselves regardless. This article is about the ones who have been told they were beautiful… but never that kind of beautiful.
By Allie Pauld7 years ago in Viva
Something for the Pro-Lifers to Think About
Abortion has been gracing the headlines and news outlets a lot lately. Not for its decline or anything along those lines, but for people marching in the streets. Many on the hating-it side are yelling at women that they are murderers. Then there are certain bills that are up for rejection or approval that could yet again hurt women.
By Catherine Agati7 years ago in Viva
Capitalist Activism
Activism is not a commodity. It is not a product to be bought and sold and advertised. It is not a successful marketing strategy, either. Activism can neither be consumed with dollar bills, nor can it be used in advertising to sell goods. To involve activism with capitalism is to invalidate it; social justice doesn’t carry a price tag. Police brutality continues despite Kendall Jenner gifting a Pepsi to a cop, catcalling will not stop because Gillette put out a new ad campaign, and stereotypes refused to dissipate after the #LikeAGirl campaign by Always. Regardless of what today’s commercials and billboards might lead one to believe, it is impossible to put in place effective social change by merely consuming products.
By M Dudukovich7 years ago in Viva
The Aftermath of Rape
*Warning: some details of my story maybe triggering for some* Hello, I’m yellow sun. Now, of course my name isn’t actually yellow sun, but how sick would that be? Anyways, I’m 22 and my childhood was weird. You know how sometimes life seems like a distant memory, almost like a dream? Not a beautiful dream, but a nightmare. Yeah, that’s repression. So, I’ve always automatically repressed things. How do I know this? Because I watched a movie a couple of years ago, and this teenage girl was being raped by some of her family members. I left the theater feeling nauseous and I couldn’t sleep for months. Crying in the middle of the night, feeling disgusted, and hating my body more than I ever have. I didn’t realize what was actually wrong.
By yellow sun7 years ago in Viva
The Price of Toxic Masculinity
So recently, Gillette released an ad criticising negative behaviour exhibited by men and most of the internet proceeded to lose its collective shit. I'm sure a lot of people saw straight through it for what it was; a business making a corny attempt at pandering to social issues of the time whilst hawking their product (Hello? Pepsi?) but its underlying message is simply too hard to ignore. Essentially, the ad calls on men to be better, to call out toxic behaviour like bullying and sexism, and that's something I can get on board with. However, there are those who see this as a weakness. Reflection and self-improvement are profound transitional periods and are traits of strong, intelligent people. Having empathy for others is not a weakness. Excising bitterness and resentment is not a weakness but the removal of weakness.
By C. Raymond Martin7 years ago in Viva
Why Black Women Hate the Word 'Sassy'
Despite the amazing strides towards cultural and racial awareness in the U.S. in the past decade, there still seems to be a lot of confusion and debate about some words. And it's understandable! There are so many tricky words for a non-minority person to navigate. If our freedom of speech is to have any practical value, why are some seemingly harmless, culture-specific words socially sanctioned and some not? How are you supposed to navigate these unspoken rules when society can't even agree on what they are!? Well, I'm here to help with one word in particular.
By Ashley Davis7 years ago in Viva
Gillette's New Ad Is Infuriating Both Men AND Women
Gillette came out with a new ad the other day… and it’s driving people completely up the wall. It focused on the fact that toxic masculinity is still a huge issue and that if we want the future generation of men to be great, we need to stop excusing bad behavior. It doesn't mean that all men physically, sexually, or even verbally attack each other, but a lot of men do sit back and do nothing. That in itself is toxic masculinity and it adds to the problem. They pointed out that there’s still a huge issue with this domino effect of bullying, harassment, and blatant sexism and their message is that men can do better. That they don't need to act like this and they need to stand up to the ones that do. It shows that men also need to teach little boys who are going to be the men of tomorrow to always act decent, responsible, and not like animals. To always do the right thing even when it's not exactly easy or convenient.
By Mardoll Gatsby7 years ago in Viva
The Fear Behind Cat Calling
There was an instance some years ago where I was leaving my mother's house late at night. Before heading home, I decided to head towards a fast food place and grab a quick bite. It was a Sunday night and, being a relatively small town, the streets were empty. As I crawled to a stop at a red light, I noticed a white car that was in the second lane to my left. Two men looked to be in their early 30s and, once I stopped right next to them, were staring dead in my direction.
By Ashlyn Harper7 years ago in Viva
What I Really Mean When I Say Me Too
The #MeToo movement has given a voice to countless women (and men, but for the purposes of this article, I’m just going to refer to women) who have survived sexual violence. For many, it was the first time they were able to admit to being a survivor of a sexual assault. For others, it was something they’d already announced to the world, so to speak, and writing those two little words really wasn’t such a big deal.
By Holly Paine7 years ago in Viva
