They are the hottest article right now, despite the fashion experts adding the adjective ‘fad’ while referring to them. Yes we’re talking about silicone bracelets.
You can’t run away from them anymore. Be it evacuees at Gaza or NBA basketball stars, all are wearing these bands. Passing fad? Don’t know, but they are still being sold like hot cakes.
If you have just gotten out of a time machine and can’t tell between a silicone bracelet and a tennis wristband, read this: Silicone bracelets were popularized by celebrated cycling champion Lance Armstrong who fought and survived multiple cancers. Armstrong wore a yellow silicone bracelet during his record sixth straight victory of the Tour de France in July.
Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain when he was 25. He won the 1999 Tour de France and has won it five years more consecutively. The ‘Livestrong’ silicone bracelets from the Lance Armstrong Foundation are a way to show support for those fighting cancer.
The sales of these wristbands exploded when Oprah Winfrey encouraged her viewers to order a bracelet when she had Armstrong as a guest on her program.
The Live Strong silicone bracelets are sold for $1 each. And they are still selling to the rate of 200,000 per day. The funds raised through selling them will support the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s labors to help young people with cancer and their family members to live strong.
Today there are available silicone bracelets of all colors, blue, pink, yellow, striped… The blue silicone bracelet was launched by BBC Radio One, and has the words ‘Beat Bullying’ imprinted on it. This wristband is very popular among footballers. One of the most popular silicone bracelets around is the ‘Support our troops’ wristband worn by family members of American soldiers. They come in a lot of colors. The pink ones are about breast cancer consciousness.
These wristbands are made of either silicon or rubber. There are also paper and leather wristbands, and ornamental bracelets.
Wearing a wristband is a good way of declaring your support for any admirable cause. What’s more, you can have your own custom message stamped on it. The attractiveness of silicone bracelets is that they can be worn in any situation.
So what does the ongoing popularity of the silicone bracelets imply? That they are more than just an accessory. They are about attitude, a reminder about one of the many valuable causes that move the human civilization forward. They are about the human necessity to show solidarity to those fighting against mighty odds.
Yes, silicone bracelets are a civilizational need in these unstable times. Let the fashion experts call them a passing trend, or whatever they like. But these silicone bracelets are here to stay.
If you have a worthy cause to support, demonstrate it by wearing a silicone bracelet.
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