Pussy(Hat) POWER
Hello Readers!
Yesterday was International Women’s Day and I feel like today is the perfect day to talk about the inequalities women face around the world. I will also talk about the women, and men, who are doing something about it.
Throughout the world, women are not awarded the same opportunities as their male counterparts, women of colour especially so! So many think will say, “Women got the right to vote; what else do they want?” But the reality is, while yes, women in North America and other 1st world countries have that right, many women still do not. They will say, “Women's Suffrage was over 100 years ago!” Yes, for some countries: Canada in 1917, Britain (over 30 in 1918, over 21 in 1928), Germany, Poland in 1918, Austria and the Netherlands in 1919, and the United States in 1920. But it wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that racial minorities in the States secured their voting rights. Never-mind the rights of Trans* peoples to register to vote under their preferred gender, or to have identification that accurately states it. Trans* persons are discriminated against by cis-gendered people in more ways than one. In some places they can't even comfortably relieve themselves due to skewed societal views making it potentially dangerous for them. There is danger all around for women of all ages; 3 out of 4 human trafficking victims are female, and each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. Women all over the world do not have access to proper healthcare - or their access is restricted, such as with abortions or birth control. The decision makers, the ones in power, the ones with a choice: are not women! But there are plenty of organizations, all over the globe, that aim to help!
The Malala Fund is set up to support girls in getting a proper education. Created by Malala Yousafzai, who had to fight to earn her own education. Her father was an educator and he wanted her to have every opportunity that a boy would’ve had - including the right to learn. In 2007 the Swat Valley, where they lived, was taken control of by Taliban militants, and by the end of 2008 they had issued an edict banning girls from schooling. During this time, Malala was writing under a pen name for the BBC about living under Taliban rule, and once the Pakistani army was able to retake control of the area, the schools were able to reopen. This is when Malala began openly speaking out against the Taliban and for girls rights to education. After winning the first Pakistan National Youth Peace Prize in 2011, Malala was targeted by the Taliban and was attacked by a gunman on her schoolbus. She survived gunshots to the head, neck and shoulder and was transferred to the UK for care. After her rehabilitation, she worked even harder to speak out for the world’s most vulnerable girls - speaking at the UN on her 16th birthday, they announced July 12th as “Malala Day” in her honour. In the following years she has toured the world speaking with girls and heads of state to spread her message of equality and she is now the youngest-ever Nobel Laureate after her win of the Peace Prize in 2014.
The movement He For She promotes feminism among men, because toxic masculinity in our society is bad for everyone, and sexual harassment can happen to anyone. Their mission states:
The PussyHat Project started as a way for a crafty lady to join in the Women’s March without physically attending. Due to a recent injury, Jayna Zweiman took up the hobby of crochet with her friend Krista Suh, to keep her busy during her rehabilitation. Krista was heading to the 2017 Women’s March in Washington DC, and needed something warm to wear. Jayna, on the other hand, was still unable to attend, but wanted her voice to be heard!
Together they envisioned coating the Washington Women’s March in pink hats. They wanted to make a bold statement and also provide people, who could not participate themselves, a visible way to demonstrate their support. The woman who taught Krista and Jayna to crochet, Kat Coyle, designed a simple pattern that would allow all crafters to be part of the project. They decided upon PussyHat not only to fly in the face of censorship, but also in direct response to the, then recent, remarks made by Donald Trump.
The movement hit social media and exploded! They truly met their vision - the march was a sea of pink and a huge success! It is estimated that at least 500,000 people were in attendance - twice the amount of attendees to Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the same spot in 1963. Since the 2017 Women’s March, the project has been focused on education and support for the future. From their mission:
We can all help by sharing, not only these movements, but also the knowledge, to everyone. Learn to educate yourself, and those around you, to the truths in this world, as ugly as they may be. We can take action to make a better future together!
Do you stand with Malala? Are you #HeForShe? Do you wear your PussyHat proudly? Tell me in the comments how you fight for gender equality!
Until next time,
I’m Kat and that’s that!
Yesterday was International Women’s Day and I feel like today is the perfect day to talk about the inequalities women face around the world. I will also talk about the women, and men, who are doing something about it.
Throughout the world, women are not awarded the same opportunities as their male counterparts, women of colour especially so! So many think will say, “Women got the right to vote; what else do they want?” But the reality is, while yes, women in North America and other 1st world countries have that right, many women still do not. They will say, “Women's Suffrage was over 100 years ago!” Yes, for some countries: Canada in 1917, Britain (over 30 in 1918, over 21 in 1928), Germany, Poland in 1918, Austria and the Netherlands in 1919, and the United States in 1920. But it wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that racial minorities in the States secured their voting rights. Never-mind the rights of Trans* peoples to register to vote under their preferred gender, or to have identification that accurately states it. Trans* persons are discriminated against by cis-gendered people in more ways than one. In some places they can't even comfortably relieve themselves due to skewed societal views making it potentially dangerous for them. There is danger all around for women of all ages; 3 out of 4 human trafficking victims are female, and each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. Women all over the world do not have access to proper healthcare - or their access is restricted, such as with abortions or birth control. The decision makers, the ones in power, the ones with a choice: are not women! But there are plenty of organizations, all over the globe, that aim to help!
The world is at a turning point. People everywhere understand and support the idea of gender equality. They know it’s not just a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue. And when these powerful voices are heard, they will change the world. The time for that change is now.Run by a team at UN Women including: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Emma Watson and Elizabeth Nyamayaro, who are all dedicated to normalizing discussions of equality, advocating for women around the world, and allowing every person the right to be themselves safely. Head to their website for information on how you can donate, support, educate and take action to get involved in the gender equality issues that matter to you!
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| Pussyhat on display in the Rapid Response Gallery, in London’s Victoria and Albert museum |
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| Photo credit: Khristel Stecher for NOW Toronto Magazine The Toronto Star also wrote an article on this installation that was set up in The Beaches on Family Day: The hat is an art installation called “Pussy Hut,” which has space for several people to fit under its roof, and has earflaps that slope onto a wooden bench, making a comfortable seat for people to talk, ideally about feminism and women’s empowerment. “The Women’s March is something we completely support, and, as designers, we wanted to participate,” said Martin Miller, an architect from New York who designed the hat with his partner Mo Zheng. - By JAREN KERR Thu., Feb. 15, 2018 |
The movement hit social media and exploded! They truly met their vision - the march was a sea of pink and a huge success! It is estimated that at least 500,000 people were in attendance - twice the amount of attendees to Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the same spot in 1963. Since the 2017 Women’s March, the project has been focused on education and support for the future. From their mission:
The PussyHat Project is a social movement focused on raising awareness about women’s issues and advancing human rights by promoting dialogue and innovation through the arts, education and intellectual discourse. The PussyHat is a symbol of support and solidarity for women’s rights and political resistance. Make a hat! Give a hat! Wear your hat! Share a hat!I think that is something we can all get behind! The website has patterns for knit or crochet, so grab your brightest pink, worsted weight, and get going darlings! I made mine improv style; it worked up super fast and works great as a stash buster (you may recognize the colours from my Valentine’s Post and the Flower Bed Pillow).
We can all help by sharing, not only these movements, but also the knowledge, to everyone. Learn to educate yourself, and those around you, to the truths in this world, as ugly as they may be. We can take action to make a better future together!
Do you stand with Malala? Are you #HeForShe? Do you wear your PussyHat proudly? Tell me in the comments how you fight for gender equality!
Until next time,
I’m Kat and that’s that!
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