Pantsuit Nation: Canadians form ‘united pantsuit front’ for Hillary Clinton

Ladies, if you support Hillary Clinton, get ready to pantsuit up.

There will be a “united pantsuit front” on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border Nov. 8, when Americans head to the polls to elect a new president.

“We encourage people to wear pantsuits, whatever they’re doing,” said Marly Wieztke of Comox B.C., who brought the “Pantsuit Nation” movement north in a show of solidarity for her family and friends in the states.

“Women have said, ‘I’m babysitting, I’ll be home with the kids, but I’ll be wearing my pantsuit.'”

Wieztke plans to pay homage to Clinton and her staple outfit by wearing a grey suit with pink pinstripes at an election party in Vancouver on Tuesday.

The 59-year-old  is one of hundreds of Canadians who’ve jumped on the #pantsuitnation bandwagon.

The American chapter that inspired Wieztke started off as a private Facebook group among 50 friends, who wanted “refuge from the negativity” of Donald Trump‘s campaign.

It’s grown to almost two million fans of the self-described “pantsuit aficionado.”

Beyoncé is among those leading the “I’m with her” pack.

The movement is about more than just fashion

Wieztke explains Clinton’s token pantsuit is not only a wardrobe staple for the presidential candidate, but also an empowering political statement for women everywhere.

“For a long time, women weren’t allowed to wear pants,” she said. “Even in winter, they had to wear skirts.”

She still remembers when the pantsuit came into fashion in the 70s.

“It was profound.”

Even the colour of a pantsuit can have significance

When Clinton became the first woman to accept the Democratic nomination for president in July, she made headlines when she wore white.

“White is an official color of the women’s movement (along with green, gold and purple),” the Guardian explained.

“Suffragettes were encouraged to attend marches wearing white in the early 1900s, and photos from the time show women wearing white dresses.”

Some women, like 102-year-old Jerry Emmett pictured below, were born before women won the right to vote.

“I have lived for this day, to vote for her and to live to see her, the next president of the United States of America,” the centenarian told the Arizona Republic last week when she cast an early ballot.

‘It’s time to change this’

For Wieztke, the last months of the campaign struck a personal chord as Donald Trump was hit with a slew of sexual assault accusations.

She claims she once lost a job when she reported a male co-worker who touched her inappropriately.

“I’ve kept quiet about it, but there are so many things that have resonated from this.”

“This is about North American women and how we’ve struggled for so long to break the glass ceiling.”

“It’s time to change this.”

Pantsuit inspiration: Clinton’s power ensembles over the years