Our second annual Walk a Day in her Shoes is coming up on March 7th, but a lot of people are understandably confused by the choice to use members of our faculty in high heels as a tool to bring light to violence against women. It can look like just another attention-seeking fundraiser gimmick.
I think it’s more than that. I think the symbol is relevant to the message.
There are, obviously, some superficial connections. Heels are painful; it’s hard to run in them and it’s hard to fight in them (ask me how I know). What makes the fundraiser meaningful is that western culture, particularly western professional culture, and especially western corporate professional culture, puts pressure primarily on women to wear high heels.
Let me be clear: No, I’m not saying it’s mandatory; I’m not saying all women do or should wear heels. I’m also not saying only women do or should. Some people choose to, some people don’t; the problem is with the societal pressure which, at times, is tantamount to coercion.
What I’m saying is that it’s women who are most widely expected to make painful sacrifices to avoid unorthodoxy, in this way but also in many others—many of which are more impor- tant. And I think the objectifying attitude that makes people think that this is okay also underwrites much of the gendered violence in our society. My hope is that by asking members of our faculty to try on some of the sacrifice for a few hours, Walk a Day opens a few eyes not just to its symbol (“Ow, dammit”) but to its message (“Why do we push women to go through this bullshit?”).
