The Insult That Sparked A Movement

The word suffragette was coined by a journalist as a mockery of activists. Rather than feeling insulted by the diminutive label, the women reclaimed the term as a badge of honor for their militant cause.

In the early 1900s, British activists demanding the right to vote were split between peaceful campaigners and direct-action radicals. The press invented the mocking term suffragette to highlight the perceived impatience and lack of decorum of the radical faction. Instead of distancing themselves from the slight, the activists adopted the title as their own. They even proudly used the name for their official newspaper to signal their refusal to be ignored.