Social and Psychological Aspects

Bringing Trans Voices into Conversations about the Pussy Hat

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Abstract

The pink pussyhat emerged as a symbol of women’s rights on January 21, 2017 at the Women’s March held in Washington, D.C. as well as at numerous other sites across the globe. Post-march and anniversary march reflections yielded an emergent concern that the pink pussy hat may not be an appropriate symbol reflective of a diversity of women, with the concern that “not all women have pussies” being the focus of this paper. Six people who are trans participated in in-depth interviews about the topic of the women’s marches and the pussyhat, providing their insights about meanings and their perceptions of the sartorial symbol. The voices of these people who are trans provides important contribution to the literature about the symbolism of the pussyhat as well as salient insight into the trans experience in a world where support for and rights of trans people are jeopardized.

Keywords: pussyhat, trans, women's march

How to Cite:

Paulins, V. A., Malcom, N. L., Howell Abolo, A., Hillery, J. L. & Adikorley, R. D., (2024) “Bringing Trans Voices into Conversations about the Pussy Hat”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17087