bust | 12 reasons why women marched on washington

If the mood in Washington, D.C. for the Presidential Inauguration was somber and funereal (and spent avoiding men in red hats), the energy in the air on the National Mall for the Women’s March was giddy with excitement and accessorized in shades of pink pussy hats. One attendee marveled, "I think I have enough positive energy to keep me going for the next four years. So much love here."

Despite all of the artistic and profane posters demonstrators brought with them — elegantly rendered uteruses outlined in black and white, giant-sized bloody tampons with googly-eye smiles, ample pink vagina signage, Trump effigies with tiny appendages, battered Lady Liberties, and a conga line of picketers wielding the busts of famous feminists like Notorious RBG— the message behind the raunchy signs and clever jibes was something much simpler. When I asked marchers what they’d like to say to our new President Trump, their responses were remarkably even-handed and of one mind: listen, have compassion, and do your job. Essentially, act and think more like...well, a woman.