We Must Discuss Why Livestrong Wristbands Were The Height Of High School Fashion

Anyone who was anyone was wearing a Livestrong wristband in high school.

Wristbands were in for a hot minute there. There were slap-bands, which were extremely fun until they started to leave red marks on your arm. Then there were also power-bands for all of us who thought we were going to become full-on athletes. But, more impactful than both of these combined, was the yellow Livestrong wristband.

The Introduction Of The Bands

These yellow wristbands were everywhere in high school.

Available from 2004, these golden wristbands were available to buy from any Nike outlet. The bands were a collaboration between the athletic brand and Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation, ultimately making the band a symbol for cancer awareness.

Livestrong Bands At Their Peak

The Livestrong bands were insanely popular. Not only did Nike end up selling 80 million of them, but because of the bracelets popularity, Nike ended up flogging yellow exercise gear, sporting accessories and much more to go with them.

Even though high schoolers were not flexing the yellow activewear, we definitely sported the yellow wristband. They were such hot property, let me tell you. I still vividly remember seeing these bands infiltrate our high school, to the point when they were being sold at a mark-up between classes. 

Not only this, but people ended up buying and selling fake Livestrong bands, which resulted in all of us fighting over which bands were real and which were counterfeit. Classic high school antics, really.

Where Did the Bands Go? 

You’re probably wondering: whatever happened to the Livestrong bracelets?

Well, after nearly a decade of a partnership between Nike and the Livestrong Foundation, Nike cut all its ties. Why? Ultimately, after Lance Armstrong admitted to taking testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs to Oprah, Nike were forced to reconsider the product. 

In the end, Nike ended their partnership with Armstrong after he was stripped of all of his Tour de France titles. Having said this, up until ties were cut, the Livestrong Foundation raised over $500 million USD for cancer research. 

If you’re after one of these in 2020, you could hit up Wish.com for a counterfeit band! 

Speaking of high school fashion, remember those Face Off pants? They were so iconic.