Avoid the Comment Section

by Rayla

I had planned on posting a poem, but my encounter with this random lady on a website was so ridiculous to me. I just had to talk about it.

Yesterday, a website posted this picture:

Of course the author of this article was appalled by this picture:

“Cut it out. Seriously. We don’t wanna hear all that crap about ‘self-expression’ and being ‘in touch with your feminine side.’ Men can learn to understand women by TALKING to them, NOT by wearing their clothes!”

Mind you, I don’t even think they read the article since no excerpts from the magazine were posted on the site. Usually, I stay far away from comments because people are stupid and I hate the ridiculous arguments that develop; however, this time for whatever reason I decided it would be OK make a quick comment. I said, “I get what they’re trying to do. It’s funny to me.” I understood the point of the cover. It was meant to be funny. No, understanding a woman is not a joke, but this cover was meant to lighten up the mood, get your attention, and make you want to read the article. Apparently, not everyone felt that way.

A woman felt the need to reply to my small, minute comment:

“Let the record reflect that wearing a head wrap does not signify one being conscious anymore. They start with the heels, then add a strand of pearls, followed by a skirt, then lipstick and nail polish. Next stop, a maxi pad on a pair of panties. I find no humor in that. If a man wants to learn what a woman experiences, there are better ways to study her than wearing heels.”

What? I sat in front of my computer just staring at the screen. I was baffled, but her comment made me chuckle, a lot. I didn’t even think anyone would notice my little comment. Maybe because it was short she felt comfortable with replying. I responded:

“I don’t think they are trying to be literal: “Hey! Throw on some heels and you’ll understand a woman’s struggle!” It’s just a picture showing the saying “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”

DUH! Why would anyone take this magazine cover so seriously? I thought it would end there, but oh no, of course it didn’t. She came back:

“All women don’t wear heels. Heels can symbolize a tool of oppression for women. Heels don’t do anything but break down your body. If you knew how the bones in your feet are, you’d realize the damage you can do long term by wearing heels on a daily basis. Women in the 70s and 80s wore skirts or dresses and heels to work because they were required to. Many of those women had to have corrective surgery to fix their toes or even knee surgery because of their prolonged wearing of heels. If you want to walk a mile in MY shoes, you better buy some Gucci loafers. I don’t do corns, bunions or callouses.”

What? What! Really lady? Are you being absolutely serious right now? I guarantee, every single woman on this planet, at one time or another, has worn heels. If you find the right heels, they won’t hurt your back or give you—bleh—on your feet (sorry I just can’t type those words). Do you really think the person who set up the photo shoot really thought “Heels mean oppression, corrective surgery, and ugly feet. Let’s put these men in heels to show they understand the woman’s infinite struggle with heels!” Using the heels was a general way of saying “walk a mile. . .” and to make the cover funny. She mention Gucci loafers just to make herself sound good I guess.

The most unimportant things are offensive now. People have arguments and debates over the dumbest things. Meanwhile, not enough people are talking about the racism and prejudice too many people have to endure each day. I don’t mean models wearing African garb on the runway. I mean kids being arrested while waiting for a school bus to their basketball game. Not enough people are talking about our failing educational system or the fact that America has all this money, while all these people are living on the streets. No most people are focusing on being faux intellectuals, rather than being a better human being. Am I wrong?