At the Women’s March rally in Foley Square, in downtown Manhattan, women weren’t just using their voices to sound off on the issues they cared about — they used signs and what they were wearing to convey their important message. While some women chose to sport pussy hats—a near-ubiquitous accessory from the original 2017 Women’s March on Washington—others championed the color pink, or comfort and utility as elements they wanted to be recognized as part of their visibility of women in this country. Here’s why 10 NYC women rallied for the 2019 Women’s March, and what they chose to wear while doing so.
Andrea Vocos
Why she’s marching: “You can’t have feminism and capitalism — capitalism is inherently patriarchal. Both cannot co-exist…There’s an anti-capitalist contingent here because we’re not down with this mainstream feminism that supports women becoming CEOs because they’re just going to exploit workers just like a male C.E.O. — that’s not true equity, that’s not true freedom for women from oppression.”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “I’m a socialist and that’s why I’m wearing red.”
Mohini Narasimhan (L) and Whitney Hu (R)
Why they’re marching: Whitney, “I think the Women’s March is really important; it’s the largest protest against an administration that is constantly dehumanizing some of the most vulnerable of the populations out there. The least I could do is come to the March today; that’s honestly the bare minimum that I could do is show up and this is just one part of why I continue to support—for the people who are subjected to the Trump administration.
What they wore to the Women’s March and why: Whitney, “I picked most of my loud pieces to wear and I knew it was a ‘thing’ because this guy on the train kept looking at my jacket down to my shoes and back to my jacket. I think he was very confused by it. But I felt okay about it — I was like, ‘I’m taking up space and you noticed me.’”
Mohini, “This is the first winter I’ve experienced in New York City since I moved here from California, so this is pure utility. I like what Whitney said about ‘taking up space.’”
Ginny Soules
Why she’s marching: “I want a revolution and I want Trump out of power.”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “I find it ironic to be seen as a fashion person in this crowd. This is what I wear all winter.”
Ray Ariz
Why she’s marching: “To stand up for everyone and stand against all of this bullshit!”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “This is what I would wear any day. I went for comfort and I did put on my pussy hat. I wanted to be warm and comfortable and free.”
Camille Colemon
Why she’s marching: “I am here because I really do believe in the unification of all kinds of women and all kinds of people, really, but of all women of all backgrounds, all creeds, all strides, all of that. I am specifically here to support Tamika D. Mallory, who came under a lot of fire for her refusal to dismiss Minister Farrakhan [Of the Nation of Islam]. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair that she came under fire, the whole controversy is complicated, but I think it’s unnecessary. I think it’s doing a good job of splitting us and dividing us, which is the opposite of what we need right now.”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “I’m actually wearing a ‘You Matter’ hoodie; I don’t know if you know Demetrius Harmon, he’s a Twitter guy who sells hoodies and I’m wearing one of those because I wanted to support the mental health community, which is really important to me. And underneath that, I’m wearing a dashiki to support the African-American community. This is a hat that I got at the last Women’s March that says ‘Power to the polls,’ which is to support the march—the unity of all of it—all the different intersections that are represented today.”
Jodie Evans (L) and Sarah Manasrah (R)
Why they’re marching: Jodie, “For so many reasons — we do need a feminist platform, we’ve gone way backwards. There are too many women that stand up and pretend that they’re feminist but aren’t for feminist values, so to come out here and say, there are this many people that are for real feminist values. I’m here to be a part of that movement and to be with the amazing women of color who are leading this movement and who have been under attack. When we are creating change, the last thing we need is to be against each other, so I wanted to be here in unity with them.”
Sarah: “I’m here to stand for peace and justice. It’s important that women are leading the way for equity and specifically as part of Code Pink, we advocate for peace here and around the world and specifically for demilitarization. Over 60% of federal spending is spent on war and we need that money for healthcare, education, changing our laws, equal rights for everyone, changing our immigration system and it’s not only our militarization around the world, our streets here are militarized, our border is militarized and people are not being treated like humans because there is so much money going into violence. We are here to advocate for peace because that should be a priority for government and it is a priority for community building to really move the money from war to peace and justice.”
What they wore to the Women’s March and why: Jodie, “I’m the co-founder of Code Pink [an NGO created to end U.S. wars and militarism], so I wanted to be all in the pink. I’m so excited that the platform is so focused on ending the war this time and that the three things we’re going to take on our universal healthcare, the ERA and ending war. I wanted to be bold in my commitment to peace [gestures to hat] and hand out my stickers and say, ‘make out, not war.’”
Sarah: “I’m not really wearing anything different except for my pink scarf which symbolizes gender equality and women’s leadership, because I think it’s women who need to change our policies.”
Julia Pandolfo (L), Tiffany Low (C) and Samantha Costantino (R)
Why they’re marching: Tiffany: “There are a bunch of us coming, me and my female friends, I think it’s important for us to take a stand and talk about what’s important and show that we care. We’re here to fight for what we believe in.”
Samantha: “I’m really passionate about women’s rights and equality and that women’s rights are human rights and the evolution of what we can do worldwide. I’m also a volunteer for the UN Women Metro NY Chapter.”
What they wore to the Women’s March and why: Julia, “This is a utility outfit, so I’m layered up.”
Tiffany: “I wanted to be comfortable and we knew it was going to be cold and that we were going to be out here all day. I didn’t want to bring a big bag because we need to be able to move and do what we need to do.”
Samantha: “So this is really bright and I loved that it would stand out. I’m layered up to the max because it’s really cold and this is my favorite little fur, thought it was a cool touch and thought it kind of brought out that femininity and empowerment.”
Bonita Lee
Why she’s marching: “I’m a photographer and just for myself, I want to cover any immigrant-related protest, especially in this time.”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “This is what I wear usually — as a photographer in the winter, I have to carry several cameras and just be able to strap on something.”
Taylor Pearson
Why she’s marching: “I came to the march because it restores my faith in humanity every year. I actually work in news and I think it’s plain that hatred and meanness has been normalized and it’s important to keep resisting. I went to the first march in D.C. and it was so incredible to see that more people showed up to that than Trump’s inauguration and I think it’s important that we keep resisting until we overcome what’s in power right now.”
What she wore to the Women’s March and why: “Really, just comfort. I have lots of layers on to stay warm because I’m trying to stay out here a long time. I’m rocking my Michelle Obama hat and I’m wearing the gold hoops thinking of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, because she said that Sonia Sotomayor was told not to wear hoops, not to wear red nail polish, so she intentionally wore red lipstick and hoops to be proud of who she was and where she came from.”
Sharon Alpert and her daughter Millie
Why they’re marching: Millie, “Because girls are good!”
Sharon: “We believe this is a moment for all women and that it’s against racism, sexism and anti-semitism and all forms of hate and bigotry.”
What they wore to the Women’s March and why: Millie, “I’m matching with Mommy and it’s appropriate for the occasion.”
Sharon: “We wore pink as a symbol for the Women’s March and the Women’s Movement. We believe that girls can do anything and that love is stronger than hate.”