Heart Truth Fashion Show: Star Power Unites For A Cause
Written by Kenyatta D. Pious

Our society is steeped in symbols, but what is a symbol? It is a “stand-in” for something else, a representation. And symbols are effective only when that representation is clear and it jostles some emotion from the person looking on. Enter the Heart Truth campaign, a program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that aims to raise awareness and wishes to escalate education about the risk of heart disease in women.

Heart Truth’s symbol: a red dress and a red dress pin. The red color immediately conjures up images of blood and death or about the red herrings that are often a part of life and even of the devil. But also the red color harpoons the mind against the nuances of red’s passion, a spiciness and sensuality that is undeniably that of a woman. There are other shades of this meaning. For example, the red becomes a gesture: red roses that one gives or receives.

It is in this turbulent sea of red messages that the Heart Truth campaign finds solace. After all, one should think about death when they see the red dresses and red dress pins: today, heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States and kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer!

As a way to propel the red dress and red dress pin to iconic stature, Heart Truth broke bread with some top designers and celebrities at

New York Fashion Week to showcase their fourth installment of red dresses aptly titled: The Heart Truth.The idea: have famous designers create red-hot dresses for celebrities to help raise awareness.

The show did not disappoint as it featured some of the best designers and their interpretations of the red dress juxtaposed against celebrities from all walks of life.

The timeless Eartha Kitt in Kai Milla was a showstopper; R&B singer Amerie was smoldering in Tommy Hilfiger; Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas was stunning in Daniel Swarovski; Lindsay Lohan floated across the runway in her Calvin Klein ensemble and Christina Milien was simply breathtaking in Max Azria Atelier.

Heart Truth was capped by a special performance by Elaine Stritch who won a Tony award in 2002. The show was a magical moment that cemented the need for lifestyle changes by women. As Amerie put it, “We are a culture of fast food and junk food and many women think heart disease is a man issue so this event is really important [for women to grasp].” A commitment to a healthier lifestyle, which implies exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking can help to combat heart disease. A great relationship with your doctor can also help because early detection is vital.

We applaud all the other initiatives by Heart Truth to bring the symbol of the red dress and red dress pin to the forefront. One such initiative that is also a healthy one for you is the collaboration with Celestial Seasonings to create a tea with the red dress emblem on it and the proceeds benefit WomenHeart. As I write this I am sipping the black cherry pomegranate and it is quite tasty with a lulling effect. Inexorably, heart disease affects us all because all of us have relationships with women: mothers, sisters, wives or girlfriends. This is a call to join the fight and to bring the symbol of the red dress, a little closer to the heart.

For more information on the Heart Truth campaign or women’s heart disease, please visit: www.hearttruth.gov or www.womenheart.org

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