Though there are many ways to express ourselves and to make a stand for causes we believe in, one of the most popular avenues is sporting colorful bracelets with a simple message.
Let’s bring it back all the way to the 1990’s. In Holland, Mich., an evangelist started to challenge youth to live like Jesus. To represent that, youth all over America began to wear bracelets of all kinds that simply said, “WWJD?” or “What Would Jesus Do?” This was to serve as a reminder to keep God at the forefront of all of our actions.
Livestrong bracelets were released in 2004 by Nike as a fundraising item for the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise cancer awareness as well as money for cancer research. The bracelet, part of the “Wear Yellow, Live Strong” educational program remains popular to this day and reminds us to live life to the fullest. The Livestrong bracelets started the trend for other non-profit organizations to use bracelets to support their causes.
The Keep a Breast Foundation took this idea and ran, starting the ultra-controversial bracelet stating “I Heart Boobies.” The foundation used these bracelets to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. The founder, Kimmy McAtee, purposely chose the risqué bracelets to target a teenage audience, hoping to spread more awareness. However good this effort might have been in theory, many schools are now banning the bracelets.
Sophomore Mario Garcia daily sports the controversial bracelet. “I never really wore breast cancer awareness bracelets until now…Pink just doesn’t catch people’s eye. I’ve been asked what my bracelet is so many times, and people give me such a funny look, then I tell them what it means and they have a huge smile and shake their head because it’s funny. I think it’s a clever way to grab people’s attention.”
Invisible Children recently visited campus through NW’s chapter of International Justice Mission (IJM) to raise awareness of the destitution in northern Uganda due to the horrors of war that have been unending for over 20 years. Among other things sold at their merchandise table, Invisible Children offered bracelets of several different colors. With the bracelet came a story of a person caught in the crosshairs of the war in some way or another. The bracelets are handmade in Uganda and sold in America to support a Ugandan child’s education. Freshman Angela Edwards purchased one after watching Invisible Children’s presentation. “I think it has a great message behind it, and when people see it they will ask what it is, and I can inform them about the crisis occurring in Uganda.”
Also on campus, the new intercultural group La Mosaic have been seen wearing white and purple bracelets with the Scripture reference 1 Corinthians 12:24-26, which talks about being the body of Christ and how the body needs each part to work the way that it was meant to function. La Mosaic uses this verse as a theme for the group, showing how everyone is different from one another but still need each other for support and to challenge one another in their faith.
Although they support no cause other than grade school teachers’ headaches, Sillybandz were a fast fad this fall, though they have now slowly started to slip off people’s wrists with their decline in popularity. Sophomore Corrine Muyskens sported several Sillybandz at a time, including her favorite one which reshaped into the outline of Buzz Lightyear. “I like to wear Sillybandz because you can personalize them to your style. I have a Buzz Lightyear one that I got from my 12-year-old sister, and I’ve never seen one like it before.”
Bracelets are a fashion statement that shall not soon fade out. Before ever being used to show support or raise awareness, bracelets were a key accessory to nearly any outfit. From bangles to charm bracelets, it’s clear that the wrist is a popular canvas.
