Pantsuit Nation is the space we all needed, and the future we all want

Thousands of women across America are wearing pantsuits today — each and every one of them a part of what has become to be the largest private Facebook group, Pantsuit Nation.

Launched just under three weeks ago, the small group was intended to encourage close friends to wear pantsuits on Election Day. But the few hundred members quickly became thousands, then a few hundred thousand, then a million. Pantsuit Nation was the movement women needed, and today it has over two and a half million members who have come together for the same reason — to elect our first female president.

Libby Chamberlain gave people a “refuge from the vitriol,” a place they can be confident their support for Hillary won’t be met with anything other than positivity.

One of the posts in the group

Today, those same people are casting their ballot in this historic election for a candidate who not only “embodies women’s fight for equality,” but every human’s fight, and they are doing it in her signature look.

Pantsuit Nation isn’t affiliated with one political party, but welcomes anyone who supports Hillary Clinton. Its members come from all 50 states as well as many countries outside the U.S.

Clara Duffy, a member of the group from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and pantsuit wearer, told babe why she joined in on the movement.

“Having the option to elect a women for president is incredible. I fell in love with feminism when I was in High School and grew up in a family where we always had open conversations about equality and women’s rights.”

This is the first time she has been eligible to vote in the United States.

Clara Duffy

Duffy is confident that Hillary is the right person to lead women forward.

“For me, the pantsuit represents how far women have come, and this election has definitely uncovered the work that still lies ahead. Today, it definitely feels like a uniform for this shared sisterhood,” she says.

We’re basically Hillary’s own “sisterhood of the traveling pantsuit.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMhtpolBUkq/?taken-by=elizabethstewart1

“Hillary Clinton wears them proudly. Wearing pantsuits to support the future, first woman president seemed like a natural fit,” says Chamberlain.

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Even Beyoncé joined in, rocking a polka dot pantsuit during her performance for Hillary Clinton’s #GetOutTheVote on Friday night.

Pantsuits used to be a look meant to hide a woman’s femininity in a workplace dominated by men. But now, the two-piece has become the symbol of a powerful woman America needs.

Bonnie Casillas who now lives in Washington D.C, told babe she wore a pantsuit because she understands the “historical moment we are currently living in.”

“We are wearing pantsuits because we stand with her! We believe she’s the most qualified candidate.”

https://twitter.com/bonniecasillas/status/795977207265034246

Women who are already proudly and publicly “with her” are taking this one step further by wearing a pantsuit today. However, the movement has gone far past just wearing a pantsuit — it’s a worldwide demonstration of women supporting each other.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMjZagGBqUd/?tagged=pantsuitnation

Another campaign which started through social media is encouraging voters to wear white today as “a nod to the suffragist movement.” Hillary’s iconic white pantsuit she wore to accept the Democratic nomination, “made reference to the history of the women’s movement,” according to the New York Times.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIbfR1chHaY/?taken-by=hillaryclinton

Throughout the last few days supporters have been posting their white looks with the hashtag #WearWhiteToVote, and some even wore white pantsuits in honor of both movements.

🇺🇸 #pantsuitnation #wearwhitetovote #wearwhite #breakthatglassceiling #imwithher #airajanemoseley @hillaryclinton pic.twitter.com/5IX2p6unW8

— Sonja Moseley (@sonjarhae) November 8, 2016

All day women have been flooding the Pantsuit Nation Facebook group with pictures of them sporting their pantsuits ready to vote while encouraging everyone to do the same. Chamberlain hopes to “continue this safe space post election” and “celebrate all the reasons this election is the most important of our lifetimes.” As does every single one of its members.

It was the space we all needed, and the future we all want.