Bracelets become new statement of fashion, charity

Watching the Olympics, I noticed a trend gracing the wrists of U. S. athletes and coaches — yellow bracelets. Just looking around campus, flocks of JMU students can be seen sporting them — myself included. Wearing jewelry for a cause has become a nationwide craze.

These rubber, yellow bracelets were created by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and are engraved with the words "LIVESTRONG." Armstrong created the foundation in 1997 after conquering testicular cancer and still managing to win the World Championships, Tour du Pont and Tour de France. The foundation believes that in the battle against cancer "knowledge is power and attitude is everything."

I succumbed to the power of the bracelets in early July. After realizing they were sold out at every athletic shoe store, my friend and I finally found them at a Hecht’s near Richmond. We scooped up ten bracelets for $1 each.

Celebrities including Matt Damon, Sheryl Crow and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry also have been spotted wearing the bracelet, perhaps spawning its high demand. These highly sought bracelets are backordered on the LAF Web site. EBay also is selling them for as much as $20 each.

Senior Jim Cox searched for a yellow bracelet, but only found his two weeks ago after paying a friend $5 for his. "I wanted one for motivation, and to remind myself to live life to the fullest," Cox said. "… It is a good reminder to take advantage of every opportunity and every day."

Other forms of bling have been created to support different causes. Items such as silver bracelets and pins bearing a pink ribbon for breast cancer are sold, and a portion of these proceeds benefit breast cancer organizations such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Generous Gems has developed a line of "Be" jewelry made of a gold ribbon with rubies to help raise AIDS awareness. A portion of the proceeds benefit non-profit AIDS organizations, according to Generous Gems.

The idea of jewelry for a cause started much earlier than any of these, however. My dad still has his POW/MIA bracelet that was worn at home during the Vietnam War in the late ’60s.

This jewelry serves as a constant reminder of a cause, whatever the cause may be. The bracelets give people a sense of unity and strength, whether they’re a trend or not, and they probably will be around for a while.