About this object

A collection of four small pins: one with yellow background and a speech bubble with the words “what the hell are you doing?”, one with a white background with a light pink frame with two flowers at the top and bottom that says “girls support girls”, one light blue that says “women supporting women”, and one with the gay pride flag covering the entire pin.

Political buttons were an original American idea that first began as celebratory pieces of cloth as a way to show admiration for the elected candidate. Pins began to be used as political propaganda when Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams ran against each other in 1824 and 1828. Grassroots political organization became very influential during those elections, and they took advantage of how easy it was to mass produce political buttons in order to spread their message. They began to be referred to as pins after they were painted and the clasp on the back was replaced with a pin in 1916. You can find more information in the article “Political Buttons and the Material Culture of American Politics, 1828-1976”.

The history of political buttons shows how influential material culture is to weave a story together. Items like these show how the general population felt about social and political issues at the time through concise messages, and reflects the nuances of how political opponents would target each other as well as promote themselves. These feminist pins reflect the opinions of the mainstream intersectional feminist movements in the United States in the early 21st century.

Why this object matters

These objects symbolize my commitment to women’s rights and intersectional feminism, as well as a way to show off my sexual orientation and a reminder of my time at the women’s march.