Fasting from Fashion — Seven Items or Less
Challenge: Pick seven items of clothing from your closet. Now, only wear those pieces for an entire month.
Slim Pickings — The girls of circle dorm 13-2 have challenged themselves to limit their wardrobes to seven items or less for the space of one week to one month.
Based off the “Six Items or Less” challenge created by Heidi Hackemer, Dorm 13-2 RAs Ashley Miranda and Amanda McGee have created a fashion diet for their own hall. According to Miranda, a first-semester graduate student, their goal is to open eyes, change mindsets and ultimately mend hearts.
“Sometimes, especially as females, we tend to focus too much on material items,” Miranda said. “We need to truly realize how self-absorbed we can be.”
Miranda and McGee are using 1 John 2:15-17 to encourage their hall to be active in the challenge. The book of John does not speak of men boasting of or loving the worldly things they have obtained. The book stresses having the love of the Father in them and doing his will so they may live forever.
For the challenge, Miranda picked out two pair of jeans, three basic t-shirts and two cardigans. She will be wearing these pieces exclusively throughout October. McGee is also leading by example, hoping more of their hall will join in.
“In order to ease a few timid minds, the hall will be taking the challenge week by week,” Miranda said.
According to Miranda, there are approximately 22 females who have signed up on their hall to participate for the first week in October. Less than five have already committed for the entire month. Sign-up sheets are available for those whom have had a change of heart and are ready to take on the challenge, Miranda said.
“I am not too worried about what people will think of me,” sophomore Charis Overholser said. “I am more concerned about where my heart is at the end of the month.”
Sophomore Carla Maples agreed with Overholser.
“I’m not a fashionable person, as is. I don’t think the limitations will affect me too much,” Maples said. “I just want to be a good example to the girls in my prayer group.”
Freshman Anna Diehr is pursuing a degree in fashion merchandising. Diehr said she is very hesitant to take part in the challenge. However, she is hoping this may help her future career and creativity.
One of the major reasons people sign up to join the project is out of “interest in creativity.” By having core articles of clothing to build off of, it is like having a blank canvas to repaint every day, according to Hackemer.
“We want to know, does it free up your mind and creativity in other ways if you don’t think about clothing?” Hackemer questioned.
Miranda said she looks forward to being innovative with her accessories.
“I am a very fashion forward person. I think I will struggle with the limited clothing for a while,” Miranda said. “However, I know it is going to better me as a person.”
Hackemer found the experience to be greatly rewarding. While slightly sick of the clothing she picked, Hackemer said she was more upset that her pieces were actually worn out physically.
“Clothes just aren’t built to be worn the way we have been wearing them,” Hackemer said. “Which I think is a really interesting lesson for people that make clothes.”
“There are 12,000 students on this campus, 25 of which you could potentially see three days a week for class,” Miranda said. “The amount you can switch your seven items alongside your accessories is only limited to your imagination. I highly doubt anyone will notice. If they do, I doubt even more that they would care.”
Edwards is a feature reporter.