On the day after Trump’s inauguration, they formed a ‘sea of pink’ marching in Washington – and now the pussyhat has come to the V&A. Fittingly announced today (it’s International Women’s Day if you weren’t aware) the symbol of sisterhood and solidarity joins the museum’s ‘Rapid Response Collection,’ which also features a burkini and Brexit propaganda. 

“The items we collect are evidence of social, political and economic change, and as a group they form a permanent legacy of objects that help visitors and researchers make sense of the world we live in today,” the museum said in a statement released with today’s announcement. For this otherwise innocent bright pink, cat-eared piece, that world is one where women’s basic rights are under threat from a misogynistic President who thinks women’s bodies aren’t their own to control, and that it’s OK to “grab them by the pussy.” 

Pussyhat project founders, Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman from LA, happened to disagree with this point of view, creating a simple pattern for people to download, make and wear in protest. They evidently weren’t the only ones against the election of an admitted sexual harasser to the highest office of power – more than 4 million people joined sister marches all around the world, many wearing the hat now emblematic of this movement – and they even made a fashion week appearance. The addition of it to the V&A today acknowledges this place in history and serves as a timely reminder to keep up the good fight.