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Men take to sidewalks in heels
for sexual assault awareness campaign
Photo by Gideon Oakes
By Gideon Oakes
April 12, 2007 | Men in high heels -- not something
you'd expect to see very often in Logan, Utah. That
is, unless there's a good cause involved.
Nearly 140 men from all walks of life (pun intended)
took to the sidewalks of Utah State University to raise
awareness about sexual assault. The annual "Walk
a Mile in Her Shoes" event was sponsored by the
Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information office
(SAAVI) because of April being Sexual Assault Awareness
Month.
"One of the reasons I really like this event is because
it uses humor in an appropriate way," said Rachel Brighton,
SAAVI coordinator. "It makes it a lot easier for us
to talk about a really difficult subject, which is sexual
violence and assault."
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that one
in four female college students has been the victim
of rape, or attempted rape, since age 14. This fact
was one of the messages repeated throughout the day.
Four walks were held in total, one walk each hour.
With some men opting to participate in all four walks,
it's no surprise that the most common injury was blisters.
A first-aid station was set up to dispense bandages,
and in case of broken ankles.
Mike Green, a graduate student from West Jordan, said
that although he didn't get any blisters from the event,
he can appreciate heel-wearing women a little more.
"It gives you a small glimpse into what women go through
on a daily basis to wear their heels," Green said.
Other walkers took a slightly happier outlook. Dave
Haupt, a sophomore from Danville, Calif., made light
of the situation, noting that he would walk again for
a good cause.
"I thought the two-inch pumps that I was wearing
were very attractive, somewhat conservative, and they
worked well with my outfit. I didn't have any accessories
to go with them, but I was happy to do it," Haupt
said. "I think that this movement . . . is really
going to take off."
Brighton said that she really appreciates the men
who came out to walk, and that the high turnout gives
her a feeling of excitement and hope.
"[The walk] gives all those good guys out there a
chance to voice their opinion that they're not OK with
sexual violence," Brighton said. "It says to me that
we have a lot of great guys on our campus and they really
care about the women in their lives."
For more information about SAAVI, visit http://www.usu.edu/saavi.
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