#Arya'sNeedle
WRVM Collection. 1992.0034, Gift of Pauline Franzen
Hatpin Postcard, 1910
Being out in public more meant women were experiencing more sexual assault and harassment. Hatpins, like keys between your fingers, were a standard part of a woman’s attire that became both an improvised weapon and a symbol of women’s self-defense. Some cities passed laws banning hatpins longer than nine inches.