Written by Amanda Coers – On April 1st, Dazzling Diva’s boutique in Brownwood will be celebrating their seventh business anniversary. The Diva herself, Brittany Cox, has had the dream of her own fashion boutique for so much longer than that.

 

 

“Ever since I was a little girl, it was always just something I wanted to do,” owner Brittany Cox said. “I went to school for marketing and management, I had a business plan in high school, I perfected it in college.”

So, why sell women’s clothing?

“There was an opportunity here for younger women’s clothes. There are great stores here, I have nothing against them,” she laughed.

Dazzling Diva’s first opened when Brittany was 24 years old, fresh out of college and the boutique’s focus at that time was the middle school through college age range. As Britt moved towards her 30’s, the style and offerings of the boutique broadened to accommodate a more mature, yet still fashion forward clientele.

“We literally sell from like 14 to 90 year old women who shop with us. That sounds crazy, but we have a very wide range of ages, so we really keep that in mind, that we have some for younger and some for older.”

And of course, as a business the goal is to make a profit, but there is an additional perk for Brittany when she helps a shopper find that perfect look.

“It makes me so emotional talking about it,” she said. “You can’t imagine how many women come in here and they don’t like to shop. They’re self conscious, they don’t know what fits them, they don’t think anything looks good on them. To see them put on something and feel like a million bucks and say ‘This is the best I’ve ever felt,’ that is absolutely the most rewarding thing about this career.”

Brittany is carrying that desire to help women feel their best with an empowerment theme for the store’s upcoming birthday. Dazzling Diva’s has partnered with the ARK Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Shelter to present the #MeToo Tutu Color and Glow 5K Fun Run on Saturday, April 14th.

“April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the ARK wishes to honor the #MeToo movement and continue empowering victims to stand up and be heard, and encourage the community to surround those voices with love and light,” according to a post on the ARK’s Facebook Page.

The 5K event will begin at 8 p.m. at Festival Park in Brownwood near the Burt Massey Sports Complex.

 

 

Runners will be showered with glow in the dark colored powder and are encouraged to adorn themselves with glow in the dark accessories, and of course, tutus, as a nod to the Me Too movement.

“Me Too” went viral in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media to help demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. The powerful two-word phrase was first used in this context by Tarana Burke and was popularized by actress Alyssa Milano when she encouraged women to tweet it to “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem”. 

Since then, #MeToo has been posted online millions of times, often with an accompanying personal story of sexual harassment or assault.

“The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve become aware of coming together as women and standing strong,” Brittany said. “We try everyday to make these women feel beautiful. That was our focus for our anniversary last year, we want every woman to feel beautiful in their own skin. But it goes so much deeper. Over the last year we’ve seen women standing up, whether it’s these gymnasts standing up against their coach, whether it’s these actresses standing up against these directors. In our own community, it’s everywhere. We feel so strongly about empowering women.”

The mission of The ARK Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Shelter is to provide safe shelter and comprehensive services through advocacy, referrals and education to support and empower victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Funds raised from the 5K will help the ARK continue to serve Brown, Coleman, and Comanche Counties.

Sign up for the 5K is online: https://runsignup.com/theark5k

Pre-Registration Fees:

$25 18 & Over

$15 17 & Under

Race Day:

Add $5.00 to above fees

Entries must be received by 3/23/18 to be guaranteed a t-shirt.

Award Categories:

Age divisions: Male & Female

12 & Under, 13-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 & Over

Race Day Schedule:

Check in: 7:00 – 7:45 p.m.

Run/Walk starts @ 8:00 p.m.

Not much of a runner, or can’t make it to the race? That’s no problem, the ARK is also selling t-shirts for Sexual Assault Awareness: https://stores.inksoft.com/the_ark_fundraiser/shop/home