The Bronze Elegance Fashion Show 29 years ago was initially established to celebrate the beauty of minorities on the University of Michigan campus. The event mainly focused on the African American population, but it was open to all other ethnicities as well. Today, the B.E. committee strives to educate our campus on HIV/AIDS through hosting gust lectures and educational events. In addition, the committee remains true to its original mission of celebrating all of the diversity on the campus ranging from race, to size, to religious beliefs, etc.  Students participating in the fashion show are heavily involved in multicultural councils, cultural/ethnic student organizations, sororities and fraternities and represent the array of students on the University of Michigan campus. Bronze Elegance is a student-driven event which impacts the lives of those involved as much as those who attend.

There are two primary purposes for this project. The first is to educate our campus and surrounding communities on HIV/AIDS. The stigma that goes with AIDS is white homosexual male. However, this stigma is totally false. With the rising AIDS rate among women and certain countries, we find that it is imperative to educate our campus and surrounding communities on this global issue. In addition, AIDS is a global issue that many students are not fully aware of. The University of Michigan has an extremely high rate of students participating in social justice movements and volunteering their careers to helping with causes. We strongly believe that by showing them how they can get involved, that there will be a good population of students that will join the fight.

The second purpose of the project is the show the diversity on campus. For 29 years the B.E. committee has produced the Bronze Elegance Fashion Show. We pick a very diverse roster of models raging from size, sex, race, ethnicity, and religions. The show also challenges what the media portrays as Beauty. We knock down all barriers when picking models. We believe by showing something different we are able to spark discussions between communities and friends. Since Bronze Elegance models are from diverse communities, the show is able to attract a very diverse crowd. By attracting a very assorted crowd we are able to have different communities socialize between one another.  For example, an audience member can sit next to another person of a different community and talk about the show. In addition, by showing the beauty, of what the media calls an oversize model, then people will start to think that you do not have to be ultra skinny to beautiful. Also, by showing all shades of skin and how beautiful they can be together is an awesome thing to accomplish.