Ribbon Lapel Pins Make A Statement In A Quiet Way

Lapel pins have long been used to show support for organizations and causes. In recent years, ribbon lapel pins have become an extremely popular way to increase awareness of and raise funds for social causes such as medical research, anti-bullying campaigns, and support for troops abroad.



Ribbon lapel pins first came to public attention in the last decade of the 20th century. In 1990, the yellow ribbon became a symbol of support for U.S. troops in Iraq. The red ribbon became a symbol of support for people with AIDS after activists wore red ribbons on their lapels at the 1991 Tony Awards. Both soon became popular lapel pins. When those first pins became popular, other organizations adopted ribbon pins in their own colors to promote other social causes.



Lapel pins are an easy way for people to show their support for worthy causes. They are affordable, they’re unobtrusive, yet they show the wearer is a person who cares. In general, people like to feel that they belong to something beyond themselves, that they are a part of a group. Lapel pins cater to that sense of belonging by creating a group of people who share the same pin design for a social cause or organization.



Lapel pins can be made in one of several styles. The most popular style for ribbon pins is a soft enamel pin. These feature a look very similar to the fine jewelry quality of cloisonné lapel pins, but at a significantly lower cost.



Unlike more traditional lapel pins, ribbon pins are an easy "read." You know by the shape that the wearer supports something. If you know what the color represents, you know what cause the wearer considers important. For example, pink ribbon lapel pins represent breast cancer awareness, while yellow or camouflage pins represent support for U.S. troops.



When the colors proliferate however, it’s not always easy to tell what their corresponding lapel pins are meant to represent. With a finite number of colors and virtually endless causes, in many cases the only way to really know what a particular color ribbon represents is to ask the person wearing it.



While some might see that as a liability, it actually is a positive, because it gives the people wearing lapel pins an opportunity to explain in depth what the pins represent, and why it’s important to them. That could even result in the questioner becoming a convert to the cause and start wearing ribbon lapel pins themselves.



Detractors sometimes refer to wearing lapel pins as "slacktivism," an act that makes the pin wearers feel good but does little for the cause they claim to support. But people who wear ribbon lapel pins say they do increase awareness and demonstrate that the causes the pins represent are important.



Not everyone chooses to wear ribbon lapel pins. However, for the large number of people who want to demonstrate their support for a cause they believe is important in a low-key manner, lapel pins are an effective way to do it. They believe wearing lapel pins can help them make a positive difference in the world.