What Does Creative Expression Look Like In The Fight Against Human Trafficking?
What Does Creative Expression Look Like In The Fight Against Human Trafficking?
One dozen Dressember participants discuss creativity across the annual fashion activism campaign
I spent the first half of December interviewing individual participants in Dressember, which raises awareness about fighting human trafficking around the world. One of the questions I asked was “In what ways does Dressember allow you to express yourself creatively while raising awareness and funds?” Here are the different things everyone had to say about that. See all full interviews here.
“I often keep Dressember simple. I wear my dresses and take a daily photo. Sometimes, especially after seeing some of our really go-getter advocates, I feel pressure to do all the cool things during Dressember. I am in a unique time where, while being stationed overseas, I can have some fun experiences during December that my counterparts in the States or Canada may not have. For example, I am able to visit many different Christmas markets throughout Europe. However, over the years, I have to tell myself that Dressember isn't about where I take my pictures, if I look perfect in my picture or how many people give. It's about planting seeds and highlighting a world-wide issue.” - Kristen
“It allows me to be creative with colour and clothing.” - Claire
“Our team, Dressemberbound, combines Dressember with disneybounding, which is wearing clothes that a Disney character might wear in “real life”. Every year we come up with 31 prompts for people to participate. Many participants aren’t Dressember advocates but their participation on social media helps bring more attention to the issue of human trafficking.” - Library Lady Life
“I LOVE dresses, and I like to pair it with a corset or a fun sweater for the cold. My seemingly extravagant outfits typically get a lot of attention from others, which is just what I want because it gives me a perfect opportunity to tell them about my cause!” - Naomi
“I've done a variety of different things each year that are more creative ways to raise awareness. In past years, I have done tiktoks, I had each day of the month be inspired by a strong/influential woman and wore things similar to what they wore, and I've tried to do action shots with all the kinds of things I do in a dress.” - Alysa
“Dressember allows me to express myself with what I wear and have a platform that helps people pay attention to what I'm wearing. I am definitely more intentional with my wardrobe during December than most months! I also am able to use my love for writing to share information, stories, etc. as I raise awareness and funds. I experience great joy from writing posts that I'm hoping will be very impactful for those who take the time to read them.” - Kat
“I love style and fashion, and have always enjoyed wearing dresses. Dressember opened a door for me to do what I love best - dress up for no reason whatsoever - and give voice to silent victims who must be heard and helped.” - Kristy
“Being able to dress up and play with outfit choices is really liberating for me actually. I live in a very casual rural place. We don’t dress up for anything really but I enjoy the creativity of fashion. I’ve mixed in some of my vintage clothing collection, which has been really fun.” - Justine
“I’m not much of a social media whiz, but I often end up writing my own captions (I do use the pre-made ones some years, too) and I like getting to verbalize the issues and present them in new way to my followers.” - Christy
“At Bearded Ladies we'd say no one needs to be "allowed" to wear a dress, but Dressember does a great job of encouraging us to celebrate our individuality and appreciate the freedom we have to do so, unlike so many of the people they're trying to help.” - The Bearded Ladies Team
“Fashion is self-expression! When you choose a dress to wear and know that you’re going to photograph it to raise awareness, you’re engaging in an act of creativity. The posing and filtering and all of that can also be an act of creativity. This year, I’m utilizing my writing, which is my primary creative tool, to create these interviews throughout the month, which feels like a powerful new way to combine self-expression with activism.” - My response
You can donate directly to any of these people’s Dressember fundraisers. Or you can subscribe to me to support my online library here of resources related to art and mental health - 10% of all December Substack income goes to Dressember.