(It’s more than a hat)

It’s December 2016 and the streets of Washington DC are a sea of pink at thousands adorn pink hats making ‘a unified statement’ (I) in support of women’s rights.

But why pink cat hats? What is the controversy behind them? And how have they been popularised by pop-culture?

The Pussyhat Project initially started in November 2016 as Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman wanted to make a hat in order to stay warm during the Women’s March - due to the colder climate in DC compared to their home of LA. Yet alongside the help and expertise of Kat Coyle at The Little Knittery, the hats became a widespread symbol of unification. The Pussyhat Project was born as the hat pattern was posted publicly, allowing people to knit, crochet or sew they own hat, and have an opportunity to be politically active through creating and wearing.

The Pussyhats got their name in part because of the cat ears, replicating that of a pussycat, but also in part as a response to comments made the new President at the time, Trump. The hat tried to reclaim the derogatory term for a vulva ‘pussy’ in relation to Trump’s 2005 comment that women let him ‘grab them by the pussy’. Thus the hats also being seen as a commentary on the ‘Make America Great Again’ hats (MAGA).

However the Pussyhat has been met with controversy. Some critics saw the hats as not being representational of transgender women and women of colour. The identifiable pink colour was viewed as being being ‘Eurocentric’ and exclusive to white women, ignorant to the fact that people have different coloured bodies and genitals. Erby, a co-chair of Black Lives Matter-Lansing (in 2017) stated how the hat ‘is a problem’, ‘nobody can speak for your experience but you, so it really is important that people that look like you, that have experiences like you to represent you.’ (II)

Additionally, due to the use of ‘pussy’ the hats have been seen as only depicting women with vulvas, seemingly ignoring that not all women have the same anatomy. Yet, transgender woman Lilianna Angel Reyes commented that " ... it was a very specific thing, ... specific to when President Trump said 'Grab 'em by the pussy,' and so to me it was a play on words that shows power. I also think for me, it's more symbolic’ (II). Reyes views the hats as a symbol to unite all women; the term ‘pussy’ does not relate to who can wear a hat, it is stand against the comments and actions made by people such as Trump - this is the unifying factor. The Project also commented that "we did not choose the colour pink as a representation of some people’s anatomy. Anyone who supports women’s rights is welcome to wear a Pussyhat. It does not matter if you have a vulva or what color your vulva may be. If a participant wants to create a Pussyhat that reflects the colour of her vulva, we support her choice." (III)

Following the march the hats were widely popularised by Missoni on the runway, accompanied by the statement ‘pink is the new black’, with proceeds from the event being donated to American Civil Liberties Union and UN Refugee Agency. The hat also featured on the covers of Time magazine and The New Yorker in February 2017.

With over one million Pussyhats handed out at the Washington March (2017), the hats were always intended to bring people together. Although the ‘playful and feminine’ nature of the hat has been criticised as unserious and undermining the topic of women rights, with people at the 2018 Women’s march instead favouring the slogan ‘Power to the Polls’, the singular aim of the Pussyhat was always to create a ‘social movement on raising awareness about women’s issues and advancing human rights’ (IV) ; bringing all women, all people, together through symbolism, making and wearing.