How Men "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes"

In reading and discussing geographies of fear and resistance in class, I was reminded of the international protest Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is described on their website as “the international men’s march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence.” As an organization, their goal is to raise awareness about sexual violence against women by giving men an opportunity to educate other men. They claim that “you can’t understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” therefore they invite men to walk a mile in a pair of traditionally feminine high heels. 

On one hand, I think an event like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes can give men an opportunity to understand the real fear women feel on a day-to-day basis. If those participating in the walk choose to empathize and educate themselves then I think the event is an effective protest. It is widely understood that most violence against women is perpetrated by men. Through an event like this, men can hold each other accountable and take the time to gain respect and understanding for the intersectional experiences of women.

Further, this entire march reminds me of Kristen Day’s 2006 article “Being feared: masculinity and race in public space.” Day (2006) noted that many men in her study “seemed to find it strange to think that women would fear them in public spaces,” thus articulating how men, often white, are unaware of the threat many women feel they pose in public. In my experience as a woman, I have felt fearful of men in public spaces, particularly at night, due to contextualizing my vulnerability. I am given pepper spray, I am told never to walk alone, I am pressured to always remain alert and aware when by myself at night. These practices are pretty much universal for all women, especially young women on college campuses, and they are socially constructed for us to protect ourselves against men. 

On the other hand, some have criticized Walk a Mile... for reinforcing gender conformity. Many fraternities participate in annual Walk a Mile... marches and have come under fire for making light of the violence they are meant to be fighting against. Krista Millay discussed this issue in her 2017 article “We Need Fraternity Men to Do a Lot More Than ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.’” Millay (2017) stated that many view the event as “fun or funny because ‘men don’t walk around in high heels.’” She then goes on to discuss how this interpretation of the march reinforces gender conformity due to heels being gendered female. Apparently, it’s funny for a man to dress like a woman because femininity can only be performed by cis women. As stated above, I think that if men wishing to participate in Walk a Mile... choose to further educate themselves, empathize, and understand the way women experience the world, then I think the event is great. However, if men simply slip on a pair of heels and walk a mile, then I agree that more needs to be done.

Photo credit: Frank Baird 

Day, Kristen. 2006. “Being feared: masculinity and race in public space.” Environment and Planning A 38(3):539-586.

Millay, K. (2017, July 4). "We Need Fraternity Men to Do a Lot More Than 'Walk a Mile in Her Shoes'", retrieved from https://everydayfeminism.com/2017/06/fraternity-men-need-to-do-more/