In Defense of The Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Campaign

When Feminists Go Wrong.

MP3 File

The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign's mission is to, “Inform the world of the valuable contributions men are making to stop sexualized violence. We are here to help link, coordinate and publicize worldwide efforts to organize Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Walks for the purposes of educating the community and raising money for local rape crisis centers.”

Kelsey Wallace from BITCH Magazine apparently has a problem with this. She remarks in an article on the magazines website that, “I just can’t get past the tone of the campaign, which trivializes women’s experiences with violence and puts the focus on the so-called “amazing” sacrifice being made by men who put on a pair of heels for 20 minutes. Do these men want a congratulatory pat on the back?”

I'm reluctant to say her statement is reflective of the problem with feminism. But, her statement is reflective of the problem with feminism. Blinded by vanity and the veil of the illusory superiority of goddess earth and mother gaia or what have you, Ms. Wallace is saying thanks but no thanks to the earnest efforts of everyday men who are seeking to rectify a wrong.

Ms. Wallace continues with, “While claiming to raise awareness and support for domestic violence issues, this campaign is actually inadvertently reinforcing the gender norms that make domestic violence such a problem in the first place. The men in the calendar (all shown being very, very manly) are given the spotlight, and they use it to mock women’s experiences by wearing something (high heels) that represents the subjugation of women by a sexist culture.”

High heels represent the subjugation of women by a sexist culture. For the love of GOD does anything get read before its published at this magazine? To be clear, the origins of high heels can be traced back to the wife of the Duke of Orleans, Catherine de Medici, who commissioned a cobbler to produce a pair of heels for her, both for fashion, and to increase her stature. Sounds very subjugating indeed, Ms. Wallace.

Finally, Ms. Wallace at BITCH Magazine is upset because men, “use [high heels] to mock women...” and that apparently trivializes the issue of domestic violence. Her argument is flawed because she is fixated on a variable aspect of the campaign. These men could be wearing garter belts, mini skirts, or have tampons shoved up their rectums—it does not matter. As old Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “It's the substance, not the form.”

It must have been a slow news day in the world of disgruntled women and she saw this fund raiser organized by the enemy (READ: Men) as something to throw to her ravenous she-readers.

I support universal equality for all human beings, but when it splinters off into bitter gangs of the indignant and self-righteous, it is the victims of inequality that suffer.

- The Commodore