Men jam their feet into high-heeled shoes and walk back and forth, some falteringly, others with unlikely confidence. Some women watch, gauging the men’s reactions while sympathizing with each other’s stories about wearing the torturous items masquerading as fashion.
They were all participants in a recent event in Tokyo held to highlight the plight of women forced to wear heels in the workplace, in an extension of the #KuToo online movement. Organizers of the event gave the men stilettos with 5-centimeter-high heels and asked them to quite literally walk in a woman’s shoes. The experience allowed the men to understand the discomfort and inconvenience that come from walking with one’s heels raised.
Yumi Ishikawa, creator of the #KuToo movement, began a petition earlier this year which now has over 30,000 signatures, calling on the government to tell companies to ban rules enforcing the wearing of heels. However, labor minister Takumi Nemoto has indicated that he will not support a drive to ban such dress codes. “It’s generally accepted by society that [wearing high heels] is necessary and reasonable in workplaces,” he said.
