The ongoing hype regarding colourful wristbands has helped charity campaigns in the UK and the US gain recognition. These wristbands are being promoted by charity organizations that are trying to solve some of the most crucial issues facing the world today — like Aids, poverty, and cancer. These days, people of all ages are wearing such wristbands. Although this is a new trend observed in Pakistan, it seems to be gaining popularity at a brisk pace. These bands originated in the UK and the US where organizations have been working over a couple of years, trying to help eliminate the world’s most pressing problems.
What makes these wristbands noteworthy is their purpose. They are being sold to raise money for charity all over the United Kingdom and America. Supporters of charity campaigns like ‘One’ and ‘Livestrong’ are trying to spread their word through something different this time. They are striving to create awareness among people of all ages so that the world’s richest nations can do something substantial to solve grave issues. All sorts of wristbands have emerged with different colours and different mottos on them.
These bands can now be seen in Pakistan as well, generally being worn by university students and those attempting to be ‘cool’. They are not sold here yet, but the hype is so intense that people are actually making an effort to buy them from aboard. I have come across several people who wear these bands and don’t even know what they are promoting, which makes it apparent that these wristbands have more of a ‘fashion appeal’ as opposed to social conscience, especially for the younger generation. This article seeks to create awareness among those who like to wear these wristbands so that if one inquires about the significance of a band of a particular colour, the wearer should know how to respond.
What needs to be done as a very first step is to clarify that these wristbands hold a purpose and are not just meant for fashion. Thus labelling these wristbands as ‘fashion bands’ is misleading. Most young people are being attracted to them because of the trendy concept. Being sold for $1 in different colours, where each colour signifies a specific charity organization, the most commonly observed wristbands are:
Yellow with ‘Livestrong’ written on it aims at raising $5m for people around the world living with cancer. This band is known as Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong band, named after the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong who is suffering from cancer.
Red with ‘Hope’ ... ‘Faith’... ‘Love’ ... ‘Life’ (USA) and Aids awareness (UK) carved on it is helping to promote Aids awareness in the world. Around 40 million people are infected with the Aids Virus today of which 2.5 million are children under the age of 15. Despite efforts being made to eradicate this problem from the world, the cure for Aids remains a mystery.
White with ‘One’ impressed on it is helping to fight poverty. U2’s lead singer Bono is one of the people promoting this particular band. The band is a part of the ONE campaign, which is working to fight extreme poverty and Aids.
Green with ‘Save Our Earth’ written on it. This coloured band aims to promote awareness among the people of the world about how important nature is for us and why we should save the rainforest.
Black and white with ‘Stand Up, Speak Up’ engraved on it. This black and white coloured band is promoting anti-racism in the world. It is believed that this band empowers the one wearing it who can show his opposition to racism without using words.
Light blue with ‘Anti Bullying’ written on it. This band helps raise awareness against bullying which can be prove to be miserable and discouraging for impressionable children. U2’s lead singer Bono is one of the most active supporters of this band.
Blue with ‘No Compromise’ printed on it is being promoted by Andy Roddick who happens to be a famous American tennis player. Andy Roddicks foundation is working for ‘at-risk’ youth.
Blue and white with ‘Tsunami’ written on it aims at gathering support and much-needed donations for the victims of the deadly Asian tsunami.
Other popular ones are Survivors which are found in five distinctive colours: purple, white, red, yellow and orange, worn to exhibit survival, breast cancer-pink, and ovarian cancer-turquoise which says Unite to Fight.
Different sorts of ‘Power’ wristbands are also being circulated. However, these have no relation with charity campaigns. These ones generally have texts like courage, strength, seeing is believing written on them. Others have emerged in continuation with the ‘fashion’ concept which compromises the real purpose. A clear distinction has to be made between ‘Power’ wrist bands which are more for fashion purposes and charity wristbands through which a number of organizations are trying to create awareness in the world. These organizations have certainly done a great job by getting the celebrities like Bono, Michael Smith, Brad Pitt, and Kate Hudson involved in their pursuit. The recently held Live 8 concerts further promoted these issues in which almost all the famous performers of the world like Coldplay, U2, Dave Matthews, Madonna, Dido, and Green Day were seen wearing these bands.
