10 Feminist Pins to Help You Stick It to the Patriarchy

 

Buttons were a big thing, at least to me, when I was in high school thanks to a dress code rule which required us to wear our school IDs at all times on lanyards. Since a lanyard alone is just plain boring and pretty easy to lose when you’re rushing from between classes, buttons became the easiest way for me to add some flair (and oftentimes sass) to the string around my neck. I’d spend hours digging through bins at Hot Topic and garage sales in search of the perfect pins that fit my personality in order to add to my collection. It grew so large that you couldn’t see the string at all or wear it comfortably because it weighed so much and scratched at my skin — but I didn’t care as long as I looked as cool as I felt when I wore them.

Thankfully the trend has come back around, this time in the form of chic enamel pins customized by some of the internet’s most popular artists and illustrators. And while there seems to be an enamel pin for nearly everything you can think of (thank you, internet), a cluster of creators have crafted pins that speak towards smashing the patriarchy and continuing to push the feminist agenda forward for equality for all. And most, if not all, are women entrepreneurs building up their small businesses into something bigger. So in honor of International Women’s Day, I decided to round up a few favorites to pin from to your lapel so you can stick to the man without having to say a word and support small women-owned business in the process.

Check them out below!

I fell head over heels as soon as I saw this awesome take on Rosie the Riveter, featuring Mexican artist (and total boundary breaker) Frida Kahlo and the rallying cry of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez’s fight for farm worker’s rights.

Ouiouiremy’s work can be found on the streets of NYC, and I think this pin is the perfect message for any catcaller trying to get any attention while you’re getting wherever you need to go.

Unladylike is honestly one of my favorite podcasts because Cristen and Caroline have spent years “unpacking the claptrap” behind many of the things that shape a woman’s world. And the fact that their logo is a literal middle finger to the patriarchy doesn’t hurt either.

Intersectionality refers to a sociological theory that attempts to “identify how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized in society.” It basically means that people can feel different types of oppression (and privilege!) based on their gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and ability. But regardless of who you are, where you’re from, or who you love, you deserve to be heard and part of the conversation in order for all of us to move forward.

Speaking of which, there’s no one way to be a woman or a man, regardless of what society has tried to drill into our heads. You deserve to define what your gender (if you ascribe to one at all) means to you.

As much progress as we’ve made when it comes to eschewing beauty standards, we’ve still got a ways to go. But regardless of your shape or aesthetic, if you find something that makes you feel confident AF, there’s no reason why you can’t channel Beyoncé and Nicki and rock this pretty pastel Robin Eisenberg pin with it!

Sing it with me now: “If I had a hammer…“

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the longest-serving black woman in the House, has become an icon and internet meme thanks to her sharp and forthright comments against the current administration. Her most famous phrase came about during the 2017 House Financial Services Committee meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and not only became a meme in mere minutes but also the perfect phrase to fire back at any trying to interrupt you.

It’s another famous phrase that was coined by Sarah Moore Grimké and Angelina Grimké Weld back in the 19th century. But it became popularized in the ’90s, thanks to Hilary Clinton‘s iconic speech at the U.N.’s Fourth World Conference on Women which was meant to empower women and help push world leaders to resolve the discrimination women face around the world. We’ve made strides, but we’re still pushing ahead.

In the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement, this phrase is still incredibly important in the fight to end rape culture, including victim-blaming and slut-shaming sexual assault victims, which is still going on.