Is it borrowable?

If I were my friend, would I borrow my stuff?

I looked down at my bracelet today and thought...'I really like that, if it were mine, I'd wear it all the time. Its so not me that its me!' Luckily, it was mine. A friend brought it back from over seas as a gift. Not something I would've picked out but I LOVE it!!

Got me thinking. The other day another friend of mine was reading in a magazine, "Would I be friends with me?" It asked questions like, "Would I meet up for coffee in the rain with me?"

So, when I looked at my stuff I thought, "Would I borrow from me? Is what's in my closet stuff I would borrow if it were my friend's?"

Its fun to borrow things from other people because it switches things up. But what if we thought that way when we purchased? When I see something in the store...do I really like it? If it were in my friend's closet would I want to borrow it?

I looked at my closet and thought, "Eh, I wouldn't borrow this....but I would soooo borrow that!" Its just a fun way to take a spin on what you are constantly buying. I always fall for the silk tanks. I don't know why. They are not flattering on me and I always put it back in the closet after attempting to wear it for the day. (well, night.) So, if my friend owned it, would I want to borrow it? Probably not...and in this case I wouldn't LOVE to borrow it, I would for an occasion that it was necessary for...that's it.

So, then think of your clothes in the way of, if I were my friend would I borrow it? It will either give you a new appreciation for your clothes or you might realize you didn't absolutely need that thing you thought you couldn't live without when at the store.

crossing the line

600,000-800,000.

That's a large amount of anything. Thats approximately how many victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide. *

More than half of that number...are children.*

Does that bother you? It turns my stomach and seems unreal.

According to Slaverymap.com 27 million people live in bondage. Did you know slavery still existed? How about the slavery that is happening right here in Massachusetts?

The other night a couple of friends and I attended a meeting with a safe house in the area. The reports from this area are stunning. Yet, just two days before I was at the mall and saw two young girls on the escalator in front of me. Their "behinds" were literally hanging out of their shorts. Their shirts were skin tight. I thought, 'Do these girls know their worth?' Probably not because they are young and invincible. It screamed easy target. The amount of vulnerable people out there is astonishing. I don't just mean inappropriately clothed girls either. Depressed and lonely, hurt and confused.

At the meeting I thought about these girls and the women I see at the mall everyday. Its in the area...pimps are out there and getting away with too much.

What are we teaching (or not teaching) our girls? Where is the line that is drawn between fashion and lack of respect?

I'm appalled at what kids see and hear these days. I can't even have a nice family dinner at the food court without some sort of inappropriately clothed people having some sort of sex on the tvs. "Uh kids, just look directly at your food and you should be ok..." Its horrible. And the parent that has no problem with what their kids wear....would they feel different knowing their child is a target? What kind of example are we setting? Hmm...

I've done some serious thinking about what true fashion means and where it falls in line with respecting yourself and the others around you. It opened my eyes real wide.

*US department of health and human services

updates

Some of you have been sending me pictures of your outfits. I can't seem to get them from your texts to the computer...so please feel free to post your pictures. I am impressed with your choices. Did you feel better or wish you stayed with the sweats? Let me know your thoughts!! And hopefully we will get to see your pics!