A social media campaign against dress codes and expectations that women wear high heels at work has gone viral in Japan, with thousands joining the #KuToo movement—a pun based on the Japanese words for shoe (kutsu) and pain (kutsuu). Nearly 20,000 women have signed the movement's online petition so far, demanding the government ban companies from requiring female employees to wear high heels on the job.
Yumi Ishikawa, a 32-year-old actress and freelance writer, launched the campaign after tweeting about being forced to wear high heels for a part-time job. “After work, everyone changes into sneakers or flats,” she wrote in the petition, adding that high heels can cause bunions, blisters and strain the lower back. “It’s hard to move, you can’t run and your feet hurt. All because of manners.”
While Japanese companies may not explicitly require female employees to wear high heels, many women do so because of tradition and social expectations. In decades past, businessmen were expected to wear neckties too, but that has changed since the government started a “cool biz” campaign in 2005 to encourage companies to turn down air-conditioners and reduce electricity use.
“It would be great if the country had a similar kind of campaign about high heels,” said Ishikawa.