Hillary Clinton’s signature pantsuits have become such an iconic look that even Beyoncé wore one when she campaigned for the Democratic candidate in Ohio.
Now, a massive, secret Facebook group has been organizing its members to wear pantsuits on Election Day, as a show of solidarity with Clinton. Since it was formed a little over two weeks ago, the private Facebook group has added over 2.5 million members. As the group is private, you can only join if a member invites you. The group’s description says simply “Wear a pantsuit on November 8. You know why.”
The group is organizing pantsuit photo shoots in various states, and has even posted suggestions of where to buy pantsuits at the last minute. In addition to posting pictures wearing pantsuits all day, the group’s members are sharing their experiences and thoughts in the run up to Election Day.
One post, which has garnered over 2,700 likes, describes a woman’s struggle to find like-minded people in her community after she relocated to Missouri for a job, and her joy at finding a local group of progressive feminists. Another talks about being moved to tears when the person’s mother, a lifelong Republican, cast her first vote for a Democratic candidate for president.
Older members have shared stories about their feminist struggle to wear pantsuits to work and to fight for their rights in the workplace.
In an election that has been over run with negativity, especially online, the moderators of Pantsuit Nation said they do not tolerate any negative comments about either candidate, and instead encourage “positive, personal” stories. Negative comments are deleted from the stream.
“There’s an awakening that’s happening with each new member — “Wow! I’m not alone,'” Libby Chamberlain, the 33-year-old founder of the group told The Washington Post.
The group told the Post it has raised over $170,000 for the Clinton campaign, and Chamberlain says that she plans to keep the group going in the event of a Clinton victory as a “reservoir of support for her.”