Hero Portraits: Malala YousafzaiThe MY HERO Project, Inc.
Headgear continues to play a complex and contentious role in the world of women's rights. Traditions around faith, fashion, and the fight for liberation have been at the root of many different forms of headdressing.
Winnie Mandela leading a march in Cape Town (1990-02-02) by Rashid Lombard/AFP/Getty ImagesSmithsonian National Museum of African Art
Scroll on to learn about different types of hats and headgear, as well as some powerful champions of women's rights.
Fragrance of Spring (1940) by Uemura ShōenYamatane Museum of Art
Uemura Shōen
Uemura Shōen (1875-1949) was both the first female artist to become a member of the Imperial Art Academy in Japan and win the Order of Culture. Inspired by ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock printmaking, Shōen's paintings were often of beautiful women, known as Bijin-ga.
This form of hairstyle and headger was known as genroku katsuyama, and communicates a powerful grace and poise.
A portrait of pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning (1799-1847)The Natural History Museum
Mary Anning
Pioneering palaeontologist, Anning, was the first to discover rare fossil specimens (1811), still displayed in global collections. Despite being impressed by her discoveries, male peers wouldn't credit her. Even the Geological Society of London refused to admit her as a woman.
In this depiction, Anning wears a humble headdress, typical of the time, giving her the appearance of steadfastness and strength.
Florynce Kennedy and Gloria Steinem together at a speaking event (1973) by Gloria's Foundation Archives and Ray BaldGloria's Foundation
Florynce Kennedy
Acclaimed black American lawyer, Flo Kennedy, was a leading figure in the women’s rights, civil rights and reproductive rights movements. Her Media Workshop fought racism in advertising and she represented the Black Panthers. She is also known for her signature cowboy hats.
Sally Ride with Launch and Entry Helmet (1985-09-24)NASA
Sally Ride
Age 32, physicist and astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman to don that famous helmet and fly in space . She later became an advocate for women and girls studying STEM as well as being the first LGBTQ-identifying astronaut.
Hat:PussyHat (2017)The Strong National Museum of Play
Pussyhat Project
Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh started knitting pink hats to create a visible concept for protest in the Women’s March in Washington DC 2017. Patterns were freely distributed to encourage women to knit and wear their own hats in solidarity. 470,000 people attended the protest.
Halima Aden in Modiste Mask and HijabCooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Halima Aden
Somali-American fashion model Halima Aden was born in a Kenyan refugee camp and emigrated to the US in 2005. In 2016, she won headlines for being the first woman to wear a burkini and hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA beauty pageant. She went on to sign with IMG models agency.
