You're holding the pin

I Loved

It looks like the sticker they hand you at a polling place. Same blue top, same red bottom, same three white stars. One word is different, and that word is the whole point.

Round I LOVED pin: blue upper half and red lower half with three white stars each, black block capital letters reading I LOVED across a white band in the middle

What it means

I VOTED is a receipt. You did the thing, you wear the proof, and everyone who sees it is nudged to do it too. I LOVED borrows that exact machinery and points it at something we treat as private.

Past tense, on purpose. Not a promise, not a mood — a thing you already did. You showed up for somebody. You said it out loud. You stayed when leaving was easier. That counts, and it's worth wearing.

The small round red, white and blue I LOVED pin worn on the side of a dark grey knit beanie

Where it came from

It started as a joke about how easy it is to broadcast a civic act and how hard it is to name a human one. The joke stopped being funny and turned into a habit: keep a few in a pocket, hand one over when someone earns it, don't explain too much.

They aren't sold. They're given, one person at a time, face to face.

How big it is

Smaller than people expect: a one-inch button, about the length of a pencil tip. Small enough to live on a coat lapel, a hat, or a bag strap without announcing itself until someone gets close.

The round red, white and blue I LOVED button pin lying on white paper next to a red pencil, showing it is about one inch across

Got one? Here's what to do

  1. 1. Wear it where people can see it.
  2. 2. When somebody asks, tell them who you loved.
  3. 3. When you meet the next person who's earned it, pass it on.

There's a second pin. It's louder. I Give a F**k →