Recently, Eat the Rich pins have been trending because of its depiction taking inspiration from this dissatisfaction with wealth inequality and economic injustice alongside power dynamics that govern modern society. The slogan is a relic of the French Revolution as social unrest against the wealthy, and it returned to popular culture when people began fighting back at unprecedented levels over wealth becoming so disproportionately concentrated. The result of this choice was that by 2023, the top 1% owned almost half of everything in the world and one outraged retort to news like this just happened be a slightly more exaggerated version than usual — so why would we stop at outbursts when there is already plenty for fuel.
Fashion has now merged with social commentary in the form of wearable activism. This new era of political fashion has been described as a “statement accessory,” further emphasizing its utility beyond style and fixing it within the realm of agit art. These pins usually sell for about $5 to $15, making them affordable enough that a wide audience can participate in the movement. Their stripped-down appearance — usually all-caps text or visual shorthand, guillotines, dollar signs — only serves to reinforce the idea that they are nothing less than simple protests in image form.
Eat the Rich pins have also been buoyed by a larger cultural rebuff against systems. The pandemic compounded disparities in wealth, highlighting the vast fortunes of billionaires while millions faced financial ruin. Movement on sense of Dark Academia began..And is now a thing, as we see all over TikTok, Instagram & Reddit through 'DarkAcademy' pins that are being worn seen discussing online etc. We all hold the sentiment which was one of the most memorable in 2021 where Redditors squeezed-on Wall Street, and told are taking on financial elites. This event was an acute symptom of how bottled up our frustration has become, making every seemingly symbolic act (wearing buttons or stickers and so forth) a part of its larger story.
It is the customization which contributes to making these pins popular. Whether humorous or pointedly political, Creators sell designs in a variety of categories on platforms like Etsy and Redbubble. These include stiffening pin size (usually an inch and a half or less), solid material(Enamel / Acrylic) and the last but not least finish (Matte/ Glossy etc.), which allows buyers to choose options that most closely match their own personal style as well as convey themessage. The choice to customize these pins only added to their mystique, with the youth able to don them as they saw fit expressing outrage on styles completely their own.
This has been met with mixed reviews from critics and public figures. Bernie Sanders the champion of wealth redistribution, has been on a stump for ages about how dangerous oligarchy and unchecked capitalism are. He said in an interview last year: “It’s absurd that the top 1% could have more wealth than the bottom 92%. This is a moral outrage.” This is where the rise of Eat the Rich pins comes in as a reaction to this sentiment and fashion becomes an avenue for political conviction.
Pinners have been also swept these majestic beasts and that as social media goes the rise of this viral hubbub has aided their assimilation. But lightning fast content virality, and hashtags can make movements like "eat the rich" go viral to millions of people in days. Visibility increases sales, and platforms that sell them i.e. eat the rich pins takes to this with their unique way of marketing among self-interest based community outreach efforts; factors into it greatly.
At its core, the trend is really just a symptom of broader malaise about growing inequality in which we see a chasm between those who have everything and all other people. The image is evocative because Eat the Rich pins provide easy and effective forms of expressing a rage, collapsing fashion, activism,and cultural critique into one declarative statement. Since wealth inequality remains a stubbornly pervasive issue in public discourse, that'll probably keep these pins going strong.