Silicone wristbands have been a part of U.S. and world pop culture for nearly 7 years now. Many say the trend has passed and the once-popular wristband fad has been relegated to history. But for those who support the causes behind silicone wristbands, they remain as relevant and important as they ever were.
The hipper-than-thou types like to claim that cause awareness silicone wristbands are nothing more than "slacktivism," an easy way for people to feel good about supporting a cause, but not accomplishing much of anything. But the naysayers don't realize how important the simple little wristbands are to the people who are passionate about a cause – or how much money they have raised, and continue to raise, for worthy organizations all over the world.
Even if silicone wristbands disappeared tomorrow, there would be no denying the positive force they have been since their widespread introduction in 2004. As far as being an awareness and fundraising tool, their legacy is unsurpassed.
Silicone wristbands took the world by storm as a result of one man's dedication to a cause. Professional cyclist Lance Armstrong and Nike introduced the yellow Livestrong band in 2004, after Armstrong's sixth consecutive victory in the Tour de France, the grueling 2,000+ mile bicycle race. Armstrong earned all of his Tour wins – including a record seventh victory the following year – after defeating testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.
Armstrong introduced the Livestrong silicone wristbands to promote awareness of cancer and cancer patients, and to raise money for cancer research. After his fellow cyclists began wearing them, other athletes picked up the trend. From there, the general public quickly joined in the craze for the yellow silicone wristbands.
Sure, they were a fad at first. But what people don't realize is that the simple little Livestrong silicone wristbands have since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research. That's not something that can be downplayed by those claiming slacktivism.
Spurred by the runaway success of the Livestrong band, many other charities quickly adopted their own silicone wristbands as fundraising and awareness promotion products, albeit in different colors. Soon, it seemed silicone wristbands were just about everywhere.
Even then, as the marketplace reached a natural saturation point, charitable organizations around the world were reaping millions of dollars from the sale of silicone wristbands. The secret to that success was in the volume of wristbands sold. Because silicone wristbands are inexpensive to make, especially in large quantities, they can be sold for as little as $1 each. That's low enough that just about anyone who wants a wristband can afford to buy it, yet the high per-unit profit margin adds up quickly for the selling organization.
Beyond the fundraising aspect, many people choose to buy and wear silicone wristbands to support a cause that's important to them. The silicone wristbands give them a chance to talk to other people about that cause and perhaps bring others into the fold as well. That's hardly slacktivism.
The bottom line is, the larger fad of silicone wristbands might have waned for now. But there's still an active place for silicone wristbands in the role of fighting for important social causes today.
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