What Does a Safety Pin Necklace Mean?

What does a safety pin necklace mean?

The necklace may indicate the wearer is a friend to marginalized people. Safety pins in general may be worn to indicate that the wearer is a “walking sanctuary” or may provide a “safe space” for marginalized people, including immigrants, people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ folks. They may be used to show the wearer is safe to approach for help or is willing to intervene when they witness acts of homophobia, racism, xenophobia, or sexism. The safety pin as a sign of solidarity comes from its name—safety pin—as well as its ability to injure when opened, implying it may be used as a weapon to defend others.

Safety pins signify rebellion and resistance. Originating with the punk movement in the 1970s, safety pins as a fashion statement indicated rebellion against society. They have grown to also represent resistance in different social movements, especially following Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

It may mean the wearer struggles with poor mental health. While safety pin necklaces have been worn as a fashion statement for decades, they’ve recently taken on a new meaning: as a way to communicate that the wearer grapples with mental health difficulties. Specifically, the safety pin necklace may mean that the person wearing it promises not to commit suicide, especially if they have attempted to in the past. Keep in mind that this is not a universal meaning, and avoid assuming that someone who wears a safety pin necklace is suicidal. They may just think it looks cool!

Safety pins signify good luck or ward off evil spirits in some cultures. In Ukraine, safety pins are a means of promoting positive spiritual energy and chasing away negative spirits, especially when attached to children’s clothes. In other cultures, safety pins symbolize good luck.

Safety pin necklaces may also be worn because…they look cool! Some people ascribe a specific meaning to safety pins and safety pin necklaces, but at the end of the day, regardless of their symbolism, safety pin necklaces are fashion statements. They can be cool and edgy or sleek, minimalist, and classy, depending on the type of necklace you have. So if you’re considering wearing a safety pin necklace, wear it because it symbolizes something meaningful to you—or just wear it because it looks nice!

Safety Pin Trend Origins

Punks began wearing safety pins for practical purposes in the 1970s. The safety pin as a fashion trend was first associated with the punk rock movement in the late ’70s. It may have originated with punk musician Richard Hell, but this claim is disputed by some punks, like Johnny Rotten, who asserts the pins were generally worn for practical purposes—for instance, in case “the arse of your pants [falls] out.” Regardless, British punk fans saw punk forerunners wearing safety pins and began wearing them too for decorative purposes, either attached to their clothing or in jewelry. The pin became associated with punk rock and rebellion through the ’80s and beyond.

Safety pins as an anti-racist symbol trended after Brexit in 2016. Angered by stories of racism and xenophobia post-Brexit (that is, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union), anti-Brexit twitter user @Cheeahs came up with the idea of wearing a safety pin to show solidarity with immigrants and EU citizens. @cheeah’s initial tweet said, “I’d like to come up with something that can be made by anybody anywhere to pin on their jacket or coat to signify that they are an ally.” After this tweet went viral and the safety pin idea took off, she began using the hashtag “#SafetyPin” to show solidarity. The trend spread to the United States later that year after Donald Trump was elected president and grew to be used as a sign of solidarity with all marginalized groups.

It’s unclear when the safety pin became a mental health symbol. In the early 2020s, the safety pin took on more significance as a symbol of mental health awareness, but it’s not totally clear where or how this meaning originated. This meaning took off on Twitter and TikTok in September 2024 in connection to former One Direction star Liam Payne, a month before his tragic death from falling off of a hotel balcony. On September 16, 2024, Twitter user @moniqe_monica posted a photo of Payne wearing a safety pin necklace beside graphics asserting that safety pin necklaces and bracelets indicate “a promise [by the wearer not to kill themselves, especially if they have attempted before.” The post includes the caption “Oh.. Thank you Liam. We love you so so much.” The tweet's implication is that Payne was possibly suicidal; though he had shared in a 2021 interview that he had struggled with suicidal thoughts while he was in One Direction, there isn't any evidence he had tried to commit suicide in the past. Fans claimed that in the days leading up to Payne’s death on October 16, he had stopped wearing his safety pin necklace, possibly implying he had committed suicide (though authorities ruled he did not).

Safety Pin Trend Controversy

Some argue wearing a safety pin in solidarity is a form of “slacktivism.” While the safety pin trend may have begun in good faith, it’s been viewed by some as a hollow form of activism. Some (like Ann Hodgman in her satirical New Yorker article) seem to suggest wearing the pin can be viewed as condescending or as centering the person wearing it and what a good person they are over the people with whom they claim to stand in solidarity. Ultimately, wearing a safety pin may or may not show how much of an ally someone is; if the wearer doesn’t take action in other more meaningful ways, then the pin likely is just about appearances.

Linking safety pins to suicide can cause rumors to spread about wearers. While some people wear safety pin necklaces to indicate that they struggle with their mental health, and possibly that they have attempted suicide in the past, this is by no means a universal meaning. Some have argued that by associating safety pins with suicide attempts, people may be unintentionally spreading damaging rumors about the people who wear them, especially celebrities, like Liam Payne, Johnny Depp, and more. It’s unclear why many celebrities choose to wear safety pin necklaces. Many may do it to make a fashion statement or just because their stylist picked it out for them. But by insinuating that it’s linked to severe mental health struggles, fans of these celebrities may be spreading damaging rumors that don’t necessarily have a basis in fact.