I’m standing alone in my underwear… imagine how vulnerable I’d be if I didn’t own a pair.
By Hayley Besheer Santell
These were the words I had written in marker on the large poster board sign I held above my head. It was Christmas Eve 2015, and although that day was quite sunny, I truly felt the chill when I literally took off my sweatpants on the sidewalk in an outdoor shopping area—stripping down to just a sweatshirt, socks and my MADI Apparel underwear covering my butt. Our videographer, Rick, was by my side. But as he was setting up one camera angle out of his car across the street, I felt paralysed in fear as he motioned for me to go ahead and remove my pants so he could begin rolling. Not kidding—I had to wait until he came back across the street before making any moves.
Why would I do such an insane thing, you might ask? Well, because I’m insanely passionate about raising awareness for the cause I started back in 2012—fulfilling new underwear donation requests in various shelters, clinics, homes for women in across the world.
Did you know new underwear tops the most urgent clothing needs list at domestic violence shelters across the United States? Yet, underwear is the most under-donated item of clothing. Think about it—it’s the only item you can’t donate used. People don’t think to go out and buy a pair—or a pack—to then donate. This donation is not only often overlooked, but crucial in the life of a woman, especially one facing crisis and on a road to healing.
Rewinding back to 2012 when friend plus original co-founder Molly and I were two wild-hearted, Florida-transplanted bartenders and roommates, on a mission to empower women through something so simple… underwear donations.
We stumbled upon a blog where an African missionary mentioned how after returning to the same community across the world for multiple decades, it turned out the one article of clothing the community needed and requested the most was new underwear. Access was limited and—long story short—underwear acted as a social, hygienic and physical protection for women.
Our minds were blown. Neither of us had even considered what would happen if we were in the shoes of these millions of women living day-to-day with one or zero pairs of underwear. After just a little research, we learned how much of a need this really was.
Every day, women escape from their violent abusers, fleeing to shelters often with nothing but the clothes on their backs and sometimes with children. Underwear tops the most urgent needs list annually at these shelters. These organisations use their budgets to buy new, clean underwear if it isn't donated.
Thousands of women each day are sexually assaulted and make it to the hospital. Already vulnerable, their clothing and underwear are taken away for forensic testing. The last thing she’ll want is to put back on her old underwear.
In many countries like Haiti, women walk for miles to have their babies in remote village birth clinics. Without access to new clean underwear during and after birth, women can kick up dust and dirt on their journey back home to raise a newborn.
Girls can’t attend schools on menstrual cycles without both hygiene products and underwear to protect them.
In March 2013, MADI Apparel was born. For every item of clothing we sell (robes, pajamas, underwear, bralettes, dresses, etc.), we donate a pair of underwear to a woman in need. It was important for us to also provide employment—to help alleviate barriers for at-risk women in the city we’re headquartered—Kansas City. We contract employ women-owned businesses and we train at-risk women to cut and sew our garments. We use only the highest quality, sustainable fabrics we can find. And, we donate the same pairs of luxury bamboo underwear that we sell.
Fast forward to the week before I got the balls to stand outside in my underwear. I was on a plane, reading my now favorite motivational book—Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang. The entrepreneur puts himself through his own self-made Rejection Therapy on a journey to beat fear. This book gave me an idea.
What if I could sacrifice and get over my own fear, embarrassment and vulnerability in an effort to bring awareness to this need?
I was shocked at the feedback from people who saw me half naked. Most had zero idea that underwear was so under-donated. I’m just one human who had a goofy idea. I self-checked and humbly got over my own pride in this tiny moment. What if we could all do something a little uncomfortable, a little out of our comfort zone, for the good of others…?
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