What does the
red AIDS ribbon
symbolize to you? Hope?
Awareness? Vigilance? History? In a sea of ribbons for all sorts of
diseases and conditions, does it still
retain its impact?
After the red ribbon was worn at the 1991 Tony
Awards it took off as an international symbol for AIDS awareness. It was a
different time them. It seemed like a bold act of resistance to proudly display
a symbol of AIDS for all the world to see. There is no question that the symbol
helped create awareness and fight stigma and was much needed at the height of
the crisis.
But does the
red ribbon still resonate today? It’s become so overused that people tend to slap
it on any sort of thing associated with HIV
as their default symbol. Now that its 20 years since the ribbon came on to the
scene and so much has changed in regards to HIV, should our symbol change
too?
Many young people today see the red ribbon as a
marker of a distant generation while others feel over saturated with ribbon
after ribbon for every cause under the sun. Maybe it’s time for creative artist
types to think big and bold and come up with something new to symbolize the
modern HIV experience.
Does the red
ribbon still have meaning for you or do you think it should have an expiration
date?