The Pussy Project 

2024

6"x 4 1/2"

Media: Book board, book cloth, paper, sticker, marker

Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. The leader of the United States of America was a known racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, white man. Ella Smith attended the women’s march later that same year. She was confronted by a sea of pussyhats. Unsure of what this meant, she asked. She was just 13 then, and she was scared. Smith watched for the next 4 years, as Trump made decisions rooted in anger and hate. Decisions that harmed the environment, took away peace, encouraged the practice of discrimination, worked toward the limitation of women’s rights, and called women liars for trying to set the story straight. Trump is running for president again and is favored to win in some states. As Smith is a woman in her 20s, This idea is terrifying. This idea of having a “leader” who wants to control her body, who will if elected and who will continue to cultivate and encourage an environment of hate. The PussyHat Project gave Women the hope they needed to get through Trumps first term. Now it is even more essential to keep having these conversations, to keep raising awareness of the wrongdoings of Trump, so there is not a repeat of the past. So, culture doesn’t shift back to the ways of the past. The Pussyhat works as a unifying symbol and token of hope, it grants the power back to the people.