If you think about it, girls put themselves through a lot of unnatural, unnecessary pain just to feel attractive. From the quick stings of waxing to the seemingly endless discomfort of corsets, the phrase “Beauty is pain” proves all too true – especially in the case of high heels. Sure, a sexy pair of 5-inch heels elongates your legs and makes heads turn, but is it really worth the treacherous walks in West Campus or Sixth Street? For many girls, the answer is yes. And if you can endure the pain of high heels for a night of jubilee, hopefully you will consider doing the same for cancer.
Brittany Thomas, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, is studying Public Relations and using her radiant personality and unique love for public speaking to create a stir on campus for cancer. As Public Relations Chair for UT’s Relay for Life, a 12-hour event organized by Colleges Against Cancer to raise money for the American Cancer Society, Brittany noticed a dire problem. “UT has so many students and resources, but we are dead last in the Big 12 Relay for Life…it’s really sad,” mentions Brittany, as she showed me some astounding, yet embarrassing statistics from last year. With archrival Texas A&M in first place with $110,000 in contributions to Relay for Life, UT sits in last place with a humiliating $15,000.
With the determination to show UT’s true philanthropic capacity, Brittany launched Heels for Hope. Burgeoning the event with her Public Relations skills, a pledge commitment from her dad, and a few hundred invites to her UT friends and fellow Texas Sweethearts, the viral wonders of Facebook increased the number of ‘Attending’ to over 1,400 in only five days! “On Friday March 25, 2011 wear your heels to campus, and when people look at you like you’re crazy, say you are doing it for the survivors and cancer patients who suffer every day from this horrible disease,” reads the Facebook event, which recently announced a Sexy High Heels Party at Qua on March 2. “This is to get the guys involved,” says Brittany, although there are major brownie points allotted for guys who want to participate in Heels for Hopes with their size 12 stilettos.
Although Heels for Hope is generating an obvious buzz around campus, Brittany faces her next biggest challenge: getting local businesses involved. With all the proceeds from the Heels for Hope t-shirts and pledges going directly to support patient care, research, and survivor services, food donations and – more importantly – pledge commitments for each high heel-wearer are crucial. And as fellow Longhorns, please help with any ideas or contacts you have.
As much as Brittany wants to raise money for Relay for Life, this is also in honor of her grandfather, a victim of cancer, and her two aunts, who are currently battling breast cancer. We all have been, or know someone who has been, affected by cancer, and if burning calves and a few slips from wearing high heels for a day can help someone’s chances of survival, I don’t see why anyone shouldn’t be rocking their pumps on the 25th.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.