'We can't live in fear': Texas artist designs 'bulletproof uniform' to address school shootings
DENTON, TEXAS: Art teacher Cassie Arnold applied her artistic talents to develop the "School Uniform (Bulletproof Dress)" in an attempt to initiate crucial conversations about school gun violence. The garment was donned by her daughter in a picture used on social media platforms to spread awareness about gun violence in schools. In an interview with Yahoo Life, Arnold talked about how commonplace school shootings have become in recent years.
"My daughter was in kindergarten last year, and she knew that her place in ‘lockdown drills’ was by the toilet in the classroom bathroom, and that she had to wait till the administrators banged on the doors, and that she had to be quiet. She wasn't fazed by it. She was just like, well, this is what we do," said the mom-of-three. Arnold revealed that she spent weeks stitching the garment, which was made completely out of Kevlar, the same heat-resistant synthetic fabric used in many bulletproof jackets. This "bulletproof" dress is not completely bulletproof and is made as a symbol of activism against school gun violence.
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Arnold pointed out in the Instagram post exhibiting the dress that she does not wish to standardize the concept of youngsters regularly wearing bulletproof clothes to class. Instead, she wants to use her craftsmanship to start a peaceful discussion about the use of firearms in schools.
Arnold recounted the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, which claimed the lives of 27 individuals, 20 of whom were students. She frequently draws her ideas and inspiration for her art from real-life experiences. "I was pregnant with my oldest when Sandy Hook happened. I remember having a total emotional breakdown while in the middle of teaching. I called my partner and was like, ‘We can't have this baby.’ He was like, ‘Well, it's gonna happen.’ I was like, ‘We can't bring a baby into this world where people are shooting up elementary schools.’"
In light of an increase in these mass killings, research has revealed a spike in psychological distress amongst teenagers and adults over student safety. The catastrophe in Uvalde, Texas, in May, which claimed the lives of 19 kids and 2 faculty members, was Arnold's breaking point. "When it happened, I was so fired up. It was the last week of school for my kids, and I was in that crossfire — 'I don't want to send my kids to school, but we can't live in fear. So you have to go to school,'" said Arnold.
In an effort to influence lawmakers in Texas (a state where firearms are bought more than anywhere in the country), Arnold put all her rage into the outfit. According to data from the FBI, 150,464 weapons were purchased in June alone, which is 17% more than the purchases made in May. Arnold further said, "The biggest hope is that we can keep the conversation going. The dress can create a conversation — not just a nonpartisan conversation — and allow us to come to an equal playing field. We need to protect our babies. We need to not live in fear, but start channeling that fear into action."
An additional goal of the outfit is to draw attention to the notion that the teaching staff is largely responsible for protecting the kids. Arnold believes this responsibility to be unfair considering that 70% of Texas teachers are severely underfunded and are on the point of resigning. "Elections are happening in November, so we have to have this conversation as kids go back to school, as our educators are underpaid. We're in a huge crisis with the shortage of teachers right now. We're asking teachers to be counselors and parents and educators and all the things, and now we're expecting them to protect our kids [from school shooters]," she continued.
Arnold claims that the fact that numerous families have asked her to create "bulletproof" clothes for their children was possibly the most illuminating aspect of the entire issue. But she claims that those parents are misinterpreting the point. "I knew that some parents may be looking at the [dress], knowing it's an art piece, but still being scared. I did get private messages [from parents] going, ‘Are you going to mass produce these?’ ‘Is there any place where we can buy these?’ I was like, ‘No, no, no.’ And then we would have the same conversation of, like, we’re just scared to send our kids to school," said Arnold.
The art teacher claims that while firearm activists and other families are putting pressure on politicians to pass stronger gun control legislation, the public should simultaneously urge artists to utilize their skills to communicate eye-opening insights on these matters in a more understandable way.
"What has come of my work in the past few years is that a lot of people have the same feelings and are too ashamed to talk about them. And so, if that can come out of creating more work, where we can process and also have conversations, then I hope that forevermore, art will be in our world to bring people together," Arnold said.