By After the election of Donald Trump, a wave of pink feminist “pussy hats” hit the markets in protest. These anti-trump “pussy hats” spearheaded by The Pussyhat Project were meant to be a part of the greater Women’s March and the feminist movement, born in response to Trump’s remarks about “grabbing women by the pussy.”
The hats are propagated by the project as being representative of all women. “Millions of women, men and children at over 600 rallies in countries touching virtually every continent,” boasts The Pussyhat Project’s webpage. “Young and old, rich and poor. Educated and not, religious and secular. Straight and LGBTQ, every race and color.”
Yet, this promise of inclusivity couldn’t be farther from the truth. Here are some reasons the pink feminist hats aren’t what they are meant to represent:
1) The LGBTQ+ community is excluded.
The hats exclude trans women and/or non-binary people who do not have the genitalia represented by the hats.
2) Not all genitalia are pink.
3) It’s not just about White feminism.
Many go so far as to argue that the hats embody a culture of White-focused Eurocentrism, and are further pushing the agenda of “exclusionary White feminism.”
4) It’s divisive.
They show a distinct lack of unity and disconnect between communities of color and white communities during a time when these two communities need to come together as allies in a movement.
The hats were clearly created, even if subconsciously, with only white cis-women in mind and represent a larger gap in the feminist movement. Racial and gender equality begins at the most basic level, and the pussy hats are a reminder that we are far from including all races and genders in the pro-feminist conversation.