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"Hi! I&amp;amp;#8217;m Rebecca, a new face interning for Glamour this summer, and I&amp;amp;#8217;m giddy-excited to be tossing my two cents into The Conversation. I eat-sleep-breathe fashion, and for my first post here, I want to talk about a big piece of statement jewelry. &amp;amp;#8220;Aren&amp;#x27;t you posting in the wrong blog, Rebecca? This isn&amp;#x27;t Slaves to Fashion,&amp;amp;#8221; you say. A little faith, ladies--it&amp;amp;#8217;s a fashion statement and a social statement.The idea of using an accessory or other visual cue as a catalyst to start a talk about a big social or political issue isn&amp;#x27;t new. Look at examples like LiveStrong bracelets and TOMS shoes for ones definitely on your radar, or internationally to the ongoing student strike in Quebec. You may know the issue, but if you haven&amp;#x27;t been to Montreal lately, you probably don&amp;#x27;t know that to protest tuition hikes of $325 a year for five years, students in Montreal are sporting red felt squares to show solidarity for the cause. That brings me to the fashion part of today&amp;#x27;s program; it&amp;#x27;s definitely more boutique-chic than the felt square, and just as politically-charged. Behold, the Marriage Equality pendant: It&amp;amp;#8217;s the brainchild of loveandpride.com, an LGBT e-commerce website, and Marriage Equality USA, a nonprofit organization fighting for legally recognized civil marriage equality. The chain sports two charms--one for you, one for your partner--shaped like silver dog tags. The design is a nod to the overturning of Don&amp;amp;#8217;t Ask, Don&amp;amp;#8217;t Tell in September. All proceeds from the $39 pendant go to Marriage Equality USA. Earlier this week, Udi Behr, the pendant&amp;#x27;s chief designer and co-founder of loveandpride, held an event for the piece&amp;#x27;s grand reveal at THE OUT NYC, and I chatted with him about his hopes for marriage equality. &amp;amp;#8220;My passions in life are designing jewelry and politics,&amp;amp;#8221; he said. &amp;amp;#8220;The LGBT community is the most deprived human rights group in my view.&amp;amp;#8221; He envisions the necklace sparking discourse around the cause: if it&amp;amp;#8217;s striking enough, he reasons, people will ask about it. Cathy Marino-Thomas, MEUSA&amp;amp;#8217;s co-president, agrees, saying, &amp;amp;#8220;Visually declaring your support for marriage equality to family, friends and strangers by wearing Marriage Equality&amp;amp;#8217;s pendant will spur conversation.&amp;amp;#8221; (Or, ahem, conversation. And no, before you ask, we&amp;#x27;ll never get tired of this pun.) How do you feel about activist clothing or jewelry--are you happy to hang your opinions on your neck (or wrist, or shirt), or would you rather voice your opinions the old fashioned way? Is wearing a shirt different than wearing jewelry? Is wearing a ribbon or a square of felt different in a totally separate category? And would you be more likely to start a conversation with someone wearing a social statement piece? More big questions to ponder: *Is Working 9 to 5 Old News? Let&amp;#x27;s Talk About the &amp;quot;No-Collar&amp;quot; Approach to Employment *Women in the Boardroom: How Many of Us Do You Think There Are? *Hanna Rosin Talks The End of Men, and Brings Up 3 Big Qs We MUST Discuss Circa Now Photo: Courtesy of loveandpride"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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