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!