“For my gown, I wanted to use a symbol that has greatly inspired my personal empowerment and freeing of myself. Thus, I used the Eurasian Magpie as inspiration for my dress. Magpies, as corvids, are some of the most intelligent birds in the world, and have their own moral sense of fair exchange. For example, many have learned to cohabitate with humans by bringing gifts or doing favors in exchange for food. Even if there’s no incentive and the food is freely out there for them, magpies will still leave a gift behind because that’s what’s “fair” to them.
My personal journey of empowerment was to become more like the magpie by learning that it’s okay for me to take, and I don’t just have to give. I struggled with this concept for a long time and suffered a lot, because I gave too much of my time, love, and energy to people who wouldn’t give anything back. Now I’m able to form much healthier relationships and know that I deserve to get what I need. I think this is a lesson that a lot of people, especially young women, struggle to learn because we’re taught to be grateful for any scrap of kindness or service we’re given, and often don’t believe we’re worthy of it. By reteaching ourselves the rules of give and take however, we can empower ourselves by understanding that we ARE worthy of getting whatever we need, as long as we’re willing to give in kind.”