a badge of honor

Something that one considers a point of personal pride. Sometimes used in relation to something that might typically be considered a negative trait or aspect. The people in our community know that our cultural heritage is a badge of honor. I don't take their social media attacks to heart. In fact, I wear them as a badge of honor—it means I'm riling them up, which I'm delighted about! He's the kind of person who wears the "male chauvinist pig" label like some kind of badge of honor, so I try to have as little as possible to do with him.