On August 24th, 2009, one life was taken and thousands of lives were changed in the small town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Allie Castner was killed in a car crash while she was crossing the road.
Allie was a dear friend of my cousin, Hunter (now 17). They'd been friends ever since they were in nappies, and they were best friends through Middle School. Although Allie is gone, her memory still lives vibrantly even beyond the boundaries of Marblehead. "Slow Down For Allie" bumper stickers (shown above) have been distributed numerous times, and are now seen on the rear of almost every car in Marblehead. Bracelets are also being sold in support of a scholarship in Allie's name, turning the aftermath of a tragic accident into an opportunity for someone else to succeed. Some houses also have large signs in their gardens displaying the iconic white butterfly motif; Allie's father said to the Marblehead Reporter, "my youngest daughters think of Allie floating around as a white butterfly."
Although this post isn't essentially about fashion, I felt that it was definitely relevant and important enough to have a blog post dedicated to it. This, to me, is a mere representation of the power of subconscious visual awareness that many don't seem to recognize as a functioning aspect of life, and for that matter, fashion appreciation. When we are presented with a stunning dress or a beautifully crafted shoe, we often override the FIRST impression and connection our brains make to it, and thus remember it as a product of our subsequent pondering. I began to wonder whether seeing these stickers plastered all over the town would actually make a change, a mental impact on people, because after all, they're just stickers. It's only now that I realise how important it is to Allie's loved ones that she is remembered, and that her memory fosters a good cause in her place. That the white butterfly I saw three hundred times a day on every car in front of me represents someone's big sister who's gone, someone's daughter who's died.
