One Year, One Dress, One Amazing Challenge
Have you ever looked at your closet full of clothes and thought, “I have nothing to wear”? Yeah, us too. But Dressember advocate Taylor Norris has discovered a way to avoid that common problem. In fact, she knows what she’s going to wear every day for the rest of the year. But Taylor’s challenge is about much more than convenience— it’s about raising awareness of human trafficking. Taylor has committed to wearing the same black dress every day for a year, putting her own personal touch on the Dressember challenge. “My heart said, ‘If you’re going to do it, do it right. Go all in,’” Taylor says. “‘The sacrifices of exploited peoples is so much greater than the sacrifice you’re making through one dress.’”
If you were thinking that wearing a black dress every day for an entire year might get a little boring, you don’t know Taylor. She uses the versatile black base to form fun, sophisticated, and stylish ensembles. So far she has paired the dress with bright yellow rain boots, a cozy tan vest, a blue tee for Human Trafficking Awareness Day and has even layered the dress as a wrap on top of another dress. In addition to being versatile and stylish, the dress itself is also a way for Taylor to spread awareness of ethical consumerism. “I wanted to choose a dress from a company that is ethically responsible,” Taylor says regarding Everlane, a clothing company that uses ethical factories and has made “radical transparency” its mission. “I didn’t feel right about standing up for trafficking if I didn’t know where the dress was coming from.”
Though Taylor is brand new to the Dressember community, having never participated in the month-long challenge, she is well-prepared for the year ahead. A few years ago, Taylor visited Cambodia to design a rehabilitation home for rescued girls, a journey that she says, “opened [her] eyes and heart to a new demographic of people [she] hadn’t heard much about.” Once Taylor’s eyes were opened, it seemed that the call to fight human trafficking was everywhere. “Fundraisers, organizations, talks about sex trafficking and exploitation. It just kept smacking me in the face and my heart softened more and more,” Taylor says.
“My heart said, ‘If you’re going to do it, do it right. Go all in.’ The sacrifices of exploited peoples is so much greater than the sacrifice you’re making through one dress.”
Taylor was surrounded by signs and eager to help, but she was still unsure of how to proceed. She now recognized that she had a purpose and a role to play in the fight against human trafficking, but she didn’t know exactly what that meant. After two years of contemplation, Taylor discovered a unique way she could use her abilities and resources to spread awareness of human trafficking. “My clothes are one thing I have full control over,” Taylor says. “No matter where I am or what I am doing, I can wear a dress. I can bring attention to an epidemic and be a vehicle for heart change like I experienced.”
Now that Taylor has found her role within the anti-trafficking movement, she is confident in her ability to complete the year-long challenge, but it certainly will not be without its obstacles. Taylor is relatively new to social media and has little experience sharing pictures of herself with her followers, much less the world. “For this to succeed I must be completely vulnerable,” Taylor says. “Even when I hate the dress and think I look terrible in it, because those days will come, I have to post. I have no idea how I will be perceived or if anyone will follow, yet I have to continue.”
Despite this obstacle, Taylor remains inspired to step out of her comfort zone, finding her motivation in remembering those she is helping. “Change takes patience. It takes presence. And it takes persistence,” Taylor says. “This is about [helping] those [who are] exploited, but it is also about stopping the demand. It is about changing the buyer. And that is a big change. It will take time and it may be small, but that is okay.”
You can follow Taylor’s year-long challenge and show your support on her Instagram, @twotayls.
About the Author
Victoria Shircliffe is a superfan of the television show "Once Upon a Time," and when she’s not working at the public library, she’s travelling across the country to fan conventions! She recently graduated from Bellarmine University with a degree in English and Marketing Communication and hopes to pursue a Masters in English. She is passionate about feminism, fairy tales, and fighting human trafficking.