body

Feminism demands a future free of fat shaming, body obsession and the male gaze.

It's Only Logical: A Sexual Trauma Memoir
My eyes appear in the dark, the jade encircling the noir. I maul an idea until I notice a rhythm, a pattern. My pupils focus; I see the downward motion—pushing, pulling, biting, I throw my head back, hands down, unleashing a compact bliss. My own depth darts to me, moving toward the French doors, looking for leaves that sway until the incapacitating winter. The wheat bristles wave and the leaves shake me. My mind runs to something banal as my hand runs down my body; my skin awakens. The twilight air flows in, and my mind, awake, turns toward my heart, inducing an anxious bliss that wakes me up and simultaneously kills me. To breathe at once into consciousness, an anxious flush makes way through nervous bundles and the axonal abyss, shooting stars into my heart. This rush is a shock that tumbles me into the darkness, into the woods and looking at myself while looking at everything else. The waking are startled in a hunt for green, seeking a letter that lost itself on its way to me. Like the purloined letter, I remain unaware of the message’s contents.
By Jennifer6 years ago in Viva
#MeToo
I know I'm a bit late to this movement but better late than never; and when better to dig up past trauma than the middle of the night ya know?
By Katie Parish6 years ago in Viva
Military Reckoning
Right now, all over the news and social media is the horrific story of Vanessa Guillen and her tragic murder. The Army investigators say they have found no evidence of her being sexually harassed but her family thinks otherwise and I'm inclined to agree with them.Her death is one of many casualties of the United States military and its toxic culture issues. The military has long had a problem with sexual harassment/assault within its ranks and a reporting/ justice system that often harms the victims further. A large group of women veterans/servicewomen wrote a letter outlining demands to improve the failures of the service, titled “Women Vets & Servicewomen Demand #JusticeforVanessaGuillen - 4 July 2020”. I encourage you to give it a read, so many women risked putting their names out there and standing up for justice, that you can at least spend a moment to view it.
By Mikayla Daniels6 years ago in Viva
Telling My Story
It all came to a head when I was 8 years old. The sexual abuse I had suffered for years was progressively getting worse. It started out rather innocently at first. My uncle cornered me more times than I can count while he was babysitting me. Sometimes when we were alone, he would grab me close to him and force me into a hug. He rubbed my bum in a circular motion that I came to despise. He said, "Come here and give your uncle a kiss.” I obeyed because I thought I had to. "Now give me a bigger one. Open your mouth,” he said as he pulled my head towards his.
By Stacy Davenport6 years ago in Viva
Its the price WE HAVE to pay I Don't Think So
Right now it doesn't matter if you are in the military or not, if you were ever sexually assaulted, molested, harassed or any way man handled in a way that you don't appreciate or you said no too; then you are my Battle. You are Vanessa Guillen's battle, because we have been there, I was just the unfortunate one to live.
By Phoenix 6 years ago in Viva
Why I didn't speak out
February 2018, I was in the midst of a crisis. I was in an abusive relationship at the tender age of 17. Now a question you might ask is, why did you stay with him? Well, any woman that has been abused by a spouse, will say this. "I loved him".
By Cheyenne Harrison6 years ago in Viva
Pro-choice or pro-life?
Pro-choice or pro-life. These are the two options and possible answers when it comes to the question 'What is your opinion on abortion?' I will be honest with you all and say from the start that I am pro-choice, and in the next few minutes (and words) I will explain to you why. And I will do that by sharing some of the views of the opposition and why I disagree with them.
By ME6 years ago in Viva
Seven to Twenty-Five
The sexualization of my body began when I was seven years old. During second grade recess, three boys used to chase me around the playground until they were able to hold me down under the slide and kiss me as I struggled. I’m sure to 5 adults, it seemed like harmless fun, boys being boys. To me, it was unfair that not only was I overpowered by three dipshits, but no one else saw this behavior as an issue. Finally, I told my brother (who was nine by the way), and one day at recess, it just stopped. They were afraid of me. They began to run from me. A nine-year-old had done more for me in one day than five adults had done for the entirety of the wrestling and unwanted kissing. I was seven.
By Jasmine Turner6 years ago in Viva
The Stereotypes that Comes with Birth Control
I was laying in bed watching Youtube videos on my phone and a video entitled, "Straight TikTok" captured my attention. TikTok is a popular short video sharing app that has an algorithm that recommends videos for its users and jokingly many people say there is a gay side of TikTok where there are members of the LGBTQIA+ community and Straight TikTok which consists of Trump lovers. Anyhow, one of the videos that the Youtuber showed was one where a user says that when a girl says she is using birth control for cramps he knows the real reason is for sex.
By Tiffany Wells6 years ago in Viva
Denial is the Root of Suffering
It’s surprising what can affect your memory. It’s even more surprising what can trigger a memory coming back to light. My mental health has always been the cause for, what I assumed was, memory loss. I’m sure at least in part it is memory loss, however I have also had memories come back. I’ve created memories to be what I wanted them to be and have had the real deal slap me in the face out of nowhere. Filing through what is real and what I’ve stowed away so deep that I thought light would never touch it is an extremely difficult process. Reconciling that my past is far more haunting than I realized has been extremely difficult. The line between protecting yourself and healing is far thinner than I anticipated. Perhaps the line is imaginary because within healing is growth, within healing is protection.
By Shae Moreno6 years ago in Viva
But Why
It had begun to feel like the love that she had always wanted. Every other guy before that always treated her like shit! So she was used to nobody really caring about her.
By Jennifer Cooley6 years ago in Viva
My plus size life
Plus size is beautiful no matter what others think or say. I’ve been overweight since I was a little girl. I never felt like I was beautiful, I felt ugly, disgusting, repulsive, un-sexy, that's how I felt for years. Even when I was in high school, yes I had boyfriends but I never felt beautiful. Even though my boyfriend told me I was I would always say "ok...sure whatever." years later I had my first child...wasn't planning on it but it happened. that's when I started to see a better version of me as a single mother and trying to be a better me isn't easy. I still lived with my parents. they helped me with my child. I never really went out and for that, I started to gain more weight and was losing my confidence again. I've tried all types of weight loss programs but they just made me even hungrier than before. Five years later I'm now 300 lbs. My parents are arguing all the time, not in front of us but we know that they are arguing. then one day my mom announces to all of us that she is going back to her homeland Cuba and she is taking my little brother with her. After she leaves I was left to feed the family and clean the house all by myself. I started to get tired of that lifestyle and soon another woman came into my life I wanted her or not. My father introduced us to his girlfriend and I wasn't ready to have some stranger come into my home and change everything. what made it worse was that they told us that we were going to have another sibling. I wasn't ready for all these changes all at once. years later my stepmom and I got into a big argument when she tried to tell me that I couldn't hang out with my friends that I needed to stay home where I belong. That infuriated me that I yelled at her. I grabbed my stuff and took my child with me and went to my cousin's house which was a block away from my father's house. I told him everything that happened he said that I could stay with them as long as I wanted to. I was living with them a year and eating the way they eat and I started to lose weight without even trying. I now feel sexy, beautiful. I now weigh 250 lbs. so no matter what color of your skin or the size you are male or female or if you're LGBTQ we are all human and we're all beautiful inside and out. Be happy with your self.
By Araceli6 years ago in Viva