activism

Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.

Gifts That Support Susan G. Komen
While she was dying, Susan G. Komen made her sister Nancy G. Brinker promise that she would do everything possible to find a cure for breast cancer. Nancy followed through with that promise and created the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart7 years ago in Viva
Being a Young Woman in America
Being a woman in today's society means... Avoiding going out at night Always looking over your shoulder when you walk alone Walking in a group because it is safer that way Bundling yourself in as many layers as you can in hopes no one sexualizes you Being scared to go anywhere at night for fear of being harassed or harmed Being the butt end of jokes from men Being shamed for coming forward with harrowing tales of assault and harassment Feeling like you have to explain every decision you make Making less than a man for the same work Looking to an unrealistic image of beauty and perfection and being expected to live up to it Knowing you will be made inferior frequently throughout your life Being told that your only purpose in life is to marry, have children, and please your partner Knowing that no matter what you do, someone is going to think you’re not good enough or you’re not trying hard enough Walking with your keys in your hand as a weapon in case things go bad Checking your backseat and locking your doors the second you get into a car Double and triple checking the locks in your home for fear of an intruder Being quieted when all you want to do is speak out Seeing stories like Mollie Tibbets and being scared to do the things you love to do Feeling like you must always live up to this unachievable standard set by a patriarchal society Having men make decisions about your health and well-being
By Makayla Richards7 years ago in Viva
What It Really Means to Be a Survivor
I was a little girl. I went to a babysitter during the days I wasn’t in school, and when school was done during the year. She wasn’t anything great. She was mean sometimes, nice others. The other kids that were there were nice, too. I even have one I still talk to.
By Not In Use7 years ago in Viva
The Pink Tax
Something you may have not noticed before is how products targeted for women cost way more than those targeted for men. This is the result of the pink tax, a "gender-based price discrimination" that affects, of course, women.
By allie7 years ago in Viva
10 Domestic Violence Support Groups
On average, 24 people per minute fall victim to rape, domestic violence, verbal and sexual harassment, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. This equals to about 12 million men and women over the course of a year. It is the least recognized human rights abuse in the world.
By Madeline Zenk7 years ago in Viva
I'm a Survivor
If you're like me, you've heard so many stories about sexual assault lately. It seems like we can't open up Facebook or a news app without seeing a headline containing those two words. Honestly, it's scary how often it happens. We never think that it could happen to us, then it does. We never think that it could happen to one of our friends, then it does. We never think that it could happen to one of our family members, then it does.
By Paige Elizabeth7 years ago in Viva
Pink Tax
This was actually my English Final Paper my first semester of college. I wanted to write this in a way everyone would understand.
By Em7 years ago in Viva
Silent Oppression: It Shouldn't Be this Way
I went for a run in town last week. It was outside, drizzling, and about 43 degrees Fahrenheit. I was so cold my breath exhaled in puffs of crystallized white mist. It's autumn, and what I didn't realize before I left was that it was about to start getting dark. I'm a pretty experienced runner, having done this for the majority of my adult life.
By Sarah Jane7 years ago in Viva
An Open Letter to the Femmes Who Walked Through Fire
To All The Femmes Who Have Walked Through Fire, I suppose I should start this open letter with an explanation of what I mean when I say, "walked through fire." Any woman who has ever experienced trauma. This is for the femme identified people who have faced death of a loved one, sexual assault, abusive relationships, sexism in the work place, sexism in the home place, discrimination based on race, religion, gender, or orientation. This is a letter for all my female identified, or socialized people who have ever felt shame for existing, felt that they needed to be more than they are to be worthy, and less than they are to be loved. To all my femmes who have ever held their tongue in the face of a rape joke for fear of retaliation. Who have smiled at a street harasser, or who have lied to protect their abuser. I see you.
By Paige Graffunder7 years ago in Viva
Why It Isn't a Scary Time for Men
You see your friend post about how a man followed her all the way home and asked for her number. You look into the comment section and it's usually 50/50. One side is other women telling their stories of men following them being followed home, being too scared to say no to a guy at the bar because she's scared he might become violent, being touched without consent, trying to move away and men tightening their grip. The other 50% is men telling you, "Well it's not all men."
By Kayla Manning7 years ago in Viva
A New View
#MeToo, we hear it almost daily, it's like a chant coming out of every dark corner, and we wish it never had to exist. It has been almost a year since the first #MeToo was tweeted, and in so many ways it has been successful, but in other ways it has inadvertently lead to a divide between the sexes. Women are feeling empowered enough to speak out, which is good, but in turn, men are left feeling unsure of what they can or can't do. This then angers us further. "How dare they make it about them!" We scream. "We are trying to speak about our pain and the silence that we have been met with after years of speaking out about our injustices, and now when we finally are being heard, they react like this!" It is infuriating, I understand. But what if we put our anger and shock at their reaction aside for a minute. What if we look at them as emotional human beings just like we are and ask, "Why?" Not from the same place of anger from which we are currently fueled but instead from one of genuine curiosity. This is actually something I have been doing. Talking to men and understanding not their opinion, but the emotional place their opinion is coming from, and I realize that there may be a better way to recruit our brothers help into the cause.
By Anna Foss7 years ago in Viva
The Story of My Life
The following story may get emotional and dark. Viewer discretion is advised. All of the events in this writing are things that really happened to me.
By nicole groover7 years ago in Viva