For men, walking in high heels is unusual and painful. Yet, as George, a participant at Milford, CT walk said, “We spend 15 minutes in pain. But the victims of domestic violence spend a lifetime in pain” (Ramunni, 2010). Thus, men participate because they feel the rewards are worth it.
Interestingly, what this walk suggests is that gender stereotypes can be used in a beneficial manner. According to Melissa Lytton (2010), “A bunch of men running around in high heels draws a lot of attention, which outweighs any negative effects of its cutesy nature. It’s simply clever marketing, and it’s marketing that’s finally being used for a great cause.” Instead of men being laughed at for breaking a stereotype, they are being admired. As Jesse, another participant at the Milford, CT walk said, “I went into the men's room and you can imagine the looks I got. A man walked up to me and asked `what are you doing,' and when I told him he took a $20 bill out and gave it to me (for the fundraiser).” Thus, the walk hopes to use the uneasiness people have towards men wearing high heels into a learning opportunity.
In the case of “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” shoes are the gender stereotype. While there are other stereotypic female objects, such as a purse, the organizers believed shoes would be a better object, partially based on the old saying, “You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes” (Baird, 2009). This walk shows the power of shoes to affect others and to have a positive effect, helping to raise awareness of sexual violence.
Sources:
Baird, F. (2010). Walk a mile in her shoes. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/index.html.
Lytton, M. (2010). Race shows high-heeled men can help women heal. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://www.kansan.com/news/2010/apr/16/lytton-race/.
Ramunni, K. (2010). Some find it hard to "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes." Connecticut Post. . Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Some-find-it-hard-to-Walk-a-Mile-in-Her-Shoes-453102.php#page-1.
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