Beginning Friday, December 1, I will be wearing a dress every day for a month. Why, you ask?

I was actually inspired by some really awesome friends in Texas, who have been participating in this FUNraiser for two years. I saw all the fun they've had, and all the good they've done. I wanted to get involved, and this year I've finally worked up the guts (and the wardrobe) to do so.

In 2016, North Carolina ranked among the top ten states for the number of human trafficking cases reported. As if this wasn't bad enough, the number of cases actually rose from 2015 to 2016, from 110 to 181. The statistics seemed staggering to me. More concerning still is the fact that my hometown of Greensboro is home to a number of human trafficking havens disguised as massage parlors. Though some legislation has been passed in relation to this in recent years, it hasn't been stringent enough to eradicate the problem altogether.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Well, Miranda loves dresses, it's not a big deal for her." And you're right, it's not like I'm going very far outside of my comfort zone. But the point isn't necessarily the sacrifice. I mean, I'm pretty excited to have my legs turn my favorite shade of ~Carolina~ blue on the coldest days of the year.

The point of being an advocate is that, in many parts of the world, a dress has come to symbolize oppression, especially for victims of trafficking and violence. Even here in the US, a dress is classed as distinctly girly. This makes sense because girls are the ones wearing them, but there are certain connotations to it. Just look at the last presidential campaign: the female running for president wore a pantsuit, presumably in order to look more like male opponents. Obviously, this is a much less damaging example, but you get the idea. Human traffickers tend to prey on the presumed weakness of women, and a lot of people associate this perceived weakness with a dress.

Dressember is all about taking that dress back and making it a symbol of freedom (freedom for your legs, in the simplest sense, freedom of femininity, and, most importantly, freedom from slavery of ANY kind). It's meant to show all the ways that being feminine is also being strong - not just anybody is willing to bare their legs to breezy frigid air, and yet, girls are.

Of course, this is a great symbol, but it's unlikely to mean much without funding behind it. That's where the fundraising aspect of the campaign comes in. Each Dressember advocate sets a goal (mine is $350) for the month of December, and all of the money raised goes to International Justice Mission, a non-profit organization that puts the money toward protection and aid for victims of human trafficking, especially in developing countries, but also right here in the United States. Advocates set up a fundraising page and update people all month long about how their Dressember is going with pictures, statistics, and stories about what's going on as they work toward their goal. If you'd like to donate to my campaign, check out the link here: https://dressember.funraise.org/fundraiser/miranda-cecil

Expect pictures and updates this month, especially on the coldest days. And if you notice someone wearing a dress every day for a week, maybe ask them about it. If they're anything like me, they'll be super excited to tell you what they're doing and why they care so much about it. If you want to get involved beyond just donating to my campaign (or someone else's), check out the Dressember page and become an advocate here: http://www.dressember.org/