8-10

No Picture for #7! I forgot!

Human trafficking isn't just an international problem. Here's a really interesting article from my fellow participant Emily, clearing up misconceptions about human trafficking, especially as it exists in my home state of California.

Profits from human trafficking- including forced labor and prostitution, number more than $150 billion per year. While the majority of trafficking takes place in Asia, California is identified as the #1 destination for trafficking in America. One third of California victims are minors.

As of today, I'm more than halfway to my fundraising goal! Any little bit helps. In a season where Americans are spending SO much on gifts that may never be used, $10 can go toward changing someone's life. Please join me in this important cause!

https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=382290

4, 5, 6

"It's not just about wearing dresses, it's about embracing the inherent freedom and femininity of all women." -@DressemberORG on twitter 

I'm a donor to IJM. $.85 of every dollar you donate goes directly to fund missions to rescue women (and men) who are victims of human trafficking. Please join me this holiday season in supporting this important cause.

https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=382290

It's Dressember Once Again....

https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=382290

Two Days to Go!

I am clearly missing photos for 10 days right now, but that situation will be fixed by (probably) tomorrow!

Two days to go! Time to jump for joy, and since you can do ANYTHING in a dress:

I wanna re-iterate: Dressember is NOT about what I'm wearing, it's about raising funds and awareness for victims of international sex trafficking. So far $115,000 has been raised! Visit www.dressember.net to donate, and support International Justice Mission!

5 - 13

Fact: You CAN wear dresses in a snow storm.
And under sweatshirts when it gets too icy and you have to work from home….

As of yesterday, $56K has been raised on the US campaign, $11K on the Canada campaign! Take part and donate to IJM! #dressemberhttp://t.co/CAO7HhDBNX

1, 2, 3, 4

I've never yet taken a photo where I knew what to do with my hands. Hashtag Dressember2013

P.S. - The overall fundraising goal of $25,000 has already been exceeded as of YESTERDAY. Ridiculous.

"Frivolous Femininity"

I did "Dressember" last year and had a ball.

Check out the official website!

It's a fashion challenge started by a friend-of-a-friend in Southern California, (where going bare-legged during the winter solstice is no biggie...) the goal being to wear dresses every day for a month.

Since I'm a bit of a dress fiend during a regular month, it seemed like a natural choice to jump on the bandwagon with my friends, posting pictures occasionally and getting to see what the other girls were coming up with on a daily basis.

Honestly though? At times I worried that the whole thing came across as shallow. When we can? We try to avoid shallow.
  
When I found out that this year, Dressember was partnering with International Justice Mission, (a human rights agency working to fight slavery & sex trafficking) I was super excited, then scared, then excited again.

My feelings have flip flopped throughout. Dressember's founder- (Blythe Hill) addressed my hangups a little bit the other day- that some people are finding the connection between girls in dresses & international social justice issues a hard sell.

But here's why it's not:

• Beauty is valuable. We're wired to think that if you can't define it, put it in your bank account, or hang it on the wall in a walnut frame, it's somehow of lesser value. But a life void of sunsets, Christmas lights, and trips to the Grand Canyon would be a bleak one indeed. Beauty is a good thing. One that motivates us, inspires us to create, and sometimes to be better people.

• Authentic femininity is a concept totally at odds with the slick, sexualized, pre-packaged womanhood that gets sold to American consumers year round.  We're lost for words on what it means to be a woman. The idea that femininity has to do with sexual value is very close to a given in our culture. A priest in my college once said that women are forced to choose "Seduction" or "Production" as their M.O. for identity. There's very little room to define yourself outside those two options.  

• There are clear and discernible links between pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking. You can look it up for yourself, but some info to get you started can be found in this article, and this video.  People justify porn's harmlessness by arguing for the freedom of a consenting well-paid women to do what she wants with her body. But the reality is that your casual viewer knows nothing about the situation of the woman (or man) they find themselves observing, and how they came to be in front of that camera. 

Is putting more girls in dresses going to stop porn addiction, international slavery and sex trafficking? Definitely not.

But I really think that men and women making choices that deliberately celebrate beauty, femininity and creativity can only create positive and healthy change in our culture, and in the climate worldwide.  Putting yourself forward as a an example of beauty: highly flawed, un-airbrushed, and fully clothed, is scary. Very scary. But it's a push-back against the idea that femininity is frivolous, or somehow for sale. 

All that to say: Dressember 2013 starts today! It's not too late to participate, or if dresses just aren't your thing, follow on social media, donate to ISJ and support the (literally) hundreds of women participating.

Here's a video of founder Blythe Hill talking about the partnership with ISJ:

DRESSEMBER from Two Spoons Productions on Vimeo.

Check out  my Dressember campaign on the ISJ website and think about joining in, or donating to support the cause!

My Dressember Campaign

Happy Dressing!