THE PINK HAT

Pink hats emerged as a cultural phenomenon in early 2017, as the Women’s March on Washington and in locations nationwide drew widespread attention.

This simple, fictional treatment of one pink hat shows its transformation from a cap knitted by a woman of a certain age (an earlier-wave feminist?) to a cat’s toy to a snug wrapper for an infant to a dog’s plaything. Eventually, its use reverts to a hat, found, washed, and worn by a young black-haired girl of indeterminate ethnicity. She ultimately wears it in a march along with dozens of other pink-hatted girls and women (and a few boys and men), toting signs reading “Girl Power,” “The Future Is Feminist,” and other familiar slogans from that day. Black-and-white line drawings with a retro look are punctuated by the bright fuchsia hat; this sole pop of color on each page draws focus to the inanimate starring “character.” There is no mention of the actual origin of the hat’s significance as a reminder of what one presidential candidate bragged about grabbing during the 2016 campaign. The hat’s role as a rallying symbol for women’s and human rights is underplayed except for the closing spread. A very brief note cites the January 2017 marches but makes no explicit connection to the pink hat.

This pink hat’s tale won’t inform young feminists in great detail, but its light take on a social movement could spark conversation.