Timothy W. Patterson

On February 5^th, 2020, Brandywine Counseling & Community Services Inc. will present the “Anything But Clothes: Fashion Show” at DSU, promoting safe sex. This event will be held in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

According to Dieasha Smith, a Prevention Specialist at BCCS, “All clothing [worn by the models] will be made out of condoms and dental dams (a barrier between a person’s mouth and another person’s genitals, according to medicalnewstoday.com),” in an effort to raise awareness of the rising HIV and AIDS epidemic among college students.

BCCS information table at the MLK Student Center (Left to right: Jiairra Carter- BCCS intern, a DSU student, and Dieasha Smith- Prevention Specialist)
(Photo: Timothy W. Patterson)

Smith finds such events important to the cultural life of college students. “We believe it is important to include both the culture of fashion and health awareness, especially for the dynamic of the students here at the college, because we know now the trend is through fashion and media.

“We also wanted to say ‘Hey, this [wearing condoms during sex] is the thing to do; not just something your parents made you do, but also something that you want to do.’”

Plush “chromosome” affected by HIV (Photo: Timothy W. Patterson)

The fashion show, to be held at the MLK Student Center, Parlors A-C, will run from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. There will be a live DJ, food, and door prizes.

Grand prizes of 300, 200 and 100 dollars, for the best and most unique outfits, will be awarded.

Smith ends with her ultimate hopes for the show, “We want you to be preventative and not corrective, and if we can do that, through this show, then we’ve done a great job.”

If a student wishes to receive counseling, he or she can contact the BCCS at (302) 504-5995 and ask for Jalina Booker.

“We want you to be able to educate yourself and be aware of safe sex practices, and be aware of HIV statistics and also prevention measures.”