The Women’s March on Washington and its accompanying sister marches—in the US and around the world—drew over five million people to streets on Saturday, January 21. Those who marched spoke in favor of equal rights for all women as well as in protest of President Donald Trump. And they didn’t show up empty-handed, either; many people made handcrafted signs to make their voice even louder. Plus, it afforded the welcome opportunity to use humor as a powerful weapon against oppression. The following Women’s Marches signs are shining examples of artistry and wit—and are quickly making their way around the internet.
Many protesters used references to pop culture and drew comparisons to beloved tales of good versus evil. Harry Potter, Star Wars, and even Mugatu from Zoolander were the subject of some hilarious signs. Other marchers used memes to get their point across. On one poster, the cathartic [screaming internally] meme was aptly applied to a photo of the Statue of Liberty. Evil Kermit also made an appearance. His “dark side” instructed us to “smash the patriarchy.”
Before he even took office, Trump proposed dramatic cuts to the arts. If implemented, The National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Endowment for Humanities, would be eliminated. (They currently make up .02% of federal spending.) But if these signs are any indication (as well as the artists we feature on My Modern Met), he’d be making a “tremendous” mistake. Bigly.
