“Is Walk a Mile bulls*it?”

Walk a mile in my shoes? Utter bullsh*t. Aside from being a fun way to raise money, it completely mocks the struggles we actually go through. Especially in a town where I'm surrounded by so many women who have been sexually harassed, assaulted, raped, and spiked—sometimes even by the same men who take part in these events—yet they face no consequences for their actions. But I guess as long as they're strutting in heels, who cares if there are no consequences for their offenses, right? If he wore heels, he's not a sexual offender. If he wore heels, he's definitely not a rapist. If he wore heels, he must be a feminist.

I've watched the videos of them walking around town laughing, smiling, having fun, because "walking in heels" is definitely the struggle I face every day. If I, a 21-year-old woman, am capable of understanding men's mental health issues without growing a moustache, then I imagine, I hope, I pray that my male counterparts can do the same for us. Are men not capable of understanding that gender stereotypes still exist without needing to wear heels? Or is it the women, who run this movement in this town, that think making men wear heels somehow encapsulates the sexual violence we suffer through on a weekly, if not daily, basis?

To the women who run this movement: mind my language, or don't—I really don't give a shit—because why the hell do you think making a man wear heels is enough to make me feel safe on our campus? Why do you think making a man, who doesn't understand what a simple "no" means, wear heels will solve this or any other issue we face? Will making him wear heels make up for the emotional, physical, and mental toll forced on her when he chose to rob her of her rights? Will making him wear heels make it easier for her to see him walk around town every single day? Will making him wear heels help her stand up to privileged men who commit these acts, especially when money is no issue for them?

If your answer is yes, you're delusional—and I'd say the same to your face. I feel blatantly disrespected by you, the women who are part of this, because you are pretending to raise awareness. You are pretending to make a change. You're pretending to make this campus a safe space just so you can put it on your CV or LinkedIn. You are willingly participating in the mockery of womanhood by reducing us to a shallow stereotype surrounding stilettos. Do women a part of this truly believe they are doing this in a pro-feminist style, which is truly sad, and are they not aware that the "feminist umbrella" is actually the opposite of what they're doing?  It's done under the pretense of feminism yet achieving the opposite, and contributing to the cycle. It's anti-feminism to its core. Truly sad.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of N/A Magazine. Posted Friday 29th November 2024.

Written by Sim