Citizens for the World

What is the BARE campaign?
The BARE Campaign is a powerful and artistic demonstration in the form of a fashion show. Men and women will wear personalized jeans they design to speak out against poverty. Women will wear brassieres and jeans. Men will wear only jeans. Our brave models bare themselves to embrace the essence of having nothing in order to internalize the bonds of poverty. The event will be on March 3, 2007, 11 pm, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, CA.

What is the goal of the event?
The BARE Campaign is an edgy demonstration that brings together people from all walks of life for one cause — to advocate against poverty affecting developing countries in Asia and support poverty eradication goals. Some of our participants include Yul Kwon (CBS Survivor winner), and Carol Chen (2006 Miss San Francisco).

Why a fashion show?
The fashion show encourages creativity and allows participants to personalize their anti-poverty message by modifying the jeans worn during the show. These fashionable jeans will also be sold to spread awareness and fund future campaigns. Thus, BARE becomes more than just a fashion show — it becomes a personal statement by the participants to share with others.

Why bare?
The bare human body is beautiful yet vulnerable. As our models stand together and collectively bare their skin for our cause, they essentially peel off the superficial layers and demonstrate ownership of nothingness.

Why jeans?
Unlike any garment of the past, a pair of jeans has the unique ability to camouflage the beholder from class distinction, background, and status. Jeans have evolved from a garment associated exclusively with hard work to one associated with leisure. This phenomenon, the process of elevating a product of low culture to that of high culture/fashion, gives jeans the ability to conceal class distinction. When a person wears this garment, be it the President or a truck driver, the viewer is nebulous about the beholder’s status. Jeans were chosen for this campaign because of their rich history, unparalleled transformation, and symbolism.

What does being bare and jeans have anything to do with poverty?
Individuals are exposed while wearing garments that symbolize the working class of old culture, and classless distinction of modern culture creates a powerful image of collectivity. This garment has the unique ability to camouflage the wearer from class, background, and status as it unites all of us under one distinction — the human race. We stand on stage as members of the human race, baring our bodies to internalize the essence of having nothing to speak out against poverty in Asia.

How does it serve the community?
The BARE Campaign is created by Citizens for the World (CFTW). CFTW aims to increase awareness of poverty in Asia and global poverty eradication goals through innovative and daring campaigns. CFTW encourages social responsibility by empowering members of humanity to participate in the antipoverty movement. CFTW is making the eradication of poverty personal. The BARE Campaign is just the beginning.