Wednesday, October 20, 2010

She Wore A Purple Ribbon

It came to my attention last week that a group on Facebook was promoting a "Wear Purple Today" page. In so many words, they wanted to get as many people as they possibly could to wear purple on October 20th to show respect for the LGBT community, particularly those of whom had committed suicide or were murdered due to bullying and discrimination. I thought this was a good idea and a simple way to show how I feel about all that.

As I was planning on what to wear, I quickly realized I had no purple items in my wardrobe. I had good intentions of coming up with something to show my support. (I work in a craft store, for crying out loud!) I thought of purchasing some cute flowers to fashion into clips, one of which was purple, but decided against it because I'm cheap. I could make a watch band out of some amethyst I had in my ever-growing collection of beads, but I decided I'm too lazy for that. I metaphorically threw my hands up in the air and ultimately made the decision to simply pin a purple ribbon onto my bright red work shirt.

I hadn't thought things through, and before I knew it, many co-workers were questioning me, asking, "Why the purple ribbon?" I, somewhat sheepishly, explained why I was wearing it, and received a positive response overall. 'Somewhat sheepishly', I say, because I didn't know what to expect in response. On top of that, I am terribly awkward, and responded the first few times with something akin to: "Oh - um it's for all the gay people and all that who have killed themselves 'cause of, you know, discrimination and stuff. It was on Facebook, and I do everything Facebook tells me to do..."

I hadn't realized how wearing an actual ribbon would generate such response and conversation. If I had made my purple flower clip or happened to have had a purple shirt to wear under my work shirt, no one would be prompted to inquire why I had made this fashion choice. But a ribbon... Initially silent, yet visible.

I'm glad I did it this way, because I learned a few things about the people I work with, all positive, and was able to start a dialogue about this popular and controversial subject. I'm glad I stood for something about which I'm very passionate. Even if it was just for one day, the effects will last much longer.

3 comments:

  1. Yeah Adrienne- you and I were separated at birth and you got the short gene, Sorry. Anyway- I did the same thing! I OWN NOTHING, and I mean nothing purple. A ribbon was a good way to go!. I'm sure your action's will help people feel supported and loved. Those were such sad situations for those kids/families and what a great thing it is for you/people to support the anti- bullying/ anti- hatred movements. A little bit of love goes a long way.:)

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  2. I saw that you'd RSVP'd (or whatever) to that Facebook thing, and I was thinking about doing it, too, but, like you, I don't own anything purple. It crossed my mind to do the ribbon thing, but I didn't have any of that, either. I wish now I'd made more of an effort, especially after hearing how it went for you. Good for you for standing up for what you believe in! I'm proud of you, little sis :)

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  3. Adrienne, I love your blog. But, I have one question: Why don't you people own any purple clothing? I mean, I don't own certain colored clothing like yellow or orange, but purple?

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