My colorful wardrobe (think Stevie Nicks on steroids) contains flowing, fairy-like outfits and also a bunch of t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies with not so subtle messages that reveal what I believe in, what I stand up for and what I won’t stand for. A hippie at heart, in my 20s, I was decked out in wrap skirts, clogs, tie dye, Earth Shoes, fringe, bell bottoms and Birkenstocks. My mother would give me the side eye and say that I “looked like I just got off the boat,” alluding to my immigrant paternal grandmother. I can almost guarantee that my Bubbe (Yiddish for grandmother) never wore tie dye. As a seasoned woman, I wear my heart and my values on my sleeves.
Some of them are worn to protests, marches and vigils. Some for daily wear to go to the supermarket and some to the gym.
They include: BE KIND. LOVE IS MY RELIGION. I WILL ALWAYS STAND ON THE SIDE OF LOVE. HUG DEALER. CANDIDLY KIND. HIPPIE BUBBE (a gift from my son and daughter in the law, the first Mothers’ Day I became a grandmother) FREE MOM HUGS. EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE. YOU ARE ENOUGH (on the front) and (on the back) TO THE PERSON BEHIND ME- YOU MATTER. LOVE, THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU. HUMAN BEING-100% ORGANIC, COLORS MAY VARY. KINDNESS, EQUALITY, INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY, PEACE AND LOVE.
I am always on the lookout for more. They are conversation starters as well. One time I was wearing the HUG DEALER shirt in the supermarket and a young man commented on it. I asked if he wanted a hug. He declined, saying that he didn’t like to be touched. I honored that and he continued, “Do you know who could really use a hug? All those people in DC who work for the government.” I agreed. He then asked if I would hug DT. My honest answer was that I would but that I would need to take a shower afterward. He nodded sagely and said that he thought the man needed more hugs than anyone since he probably didn’t receive many in childhood.
Another time, a woman approached me in a parking lot as I was putting my groceries in the car. She asked if I had gone to the NO KINGS event that had been recently held. I told her I had attended the one in Doylestown, PA and she told me she had gone to NYC. I asked how she knew to ask the question and she responded that it was my purple hair and my shirt with a rainbow heart in the middle. I also assumed it was the hippie bumper stickers on my car that was a giveaway.
I am also always prepared for dirty looks, smirks and outright negative comments on my outfits. The response I would offer would come in the form of a question: What part of the message do you disagree with? Do you expect people to deny kindness and love, inclusivity, unity, acceptance and peace? I am eager to go out into the world planting seeds, opening minds, and entertaining hearts simply by being willing to be a walking billboard for peace.
