Men in high heels flooded the road on Wednesday, April 17, in front of College Hall to show their support for women and raise awareness to gender violence, sexual assault and rape.
Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted the annual event Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, which had TAMUK’s male students don high heels and march a mile to gain an understanding of the struggles women face.
One of the organizers of the event and Social Work major Alexander Soliz has participated in the event since he was a freshman, and loves it so much he bought his own pair of heels for this year’s event. He spoke on how walking a mile in heels changed his life.
“[Walk a Mile in Her Shoes] got me into wanting to peer educate,” Soliz said. “I changed my major from engineering to social work because of it.”
Soliz got to the heart of what he wanted the men who participated in the event to take away from it.
“Rape affects all of us,” Soliz said. “Walk a mile in her shoes, and see what that feels like.”
Kinesiology major Amanda Ortega also helped organize the event, and echoed Soliz’s sentiment.
“We’re all in this together. We’re getting these men to realize how hard it is, the little things in a woman’s life. Wearing the heels and walking a mile,” Ortega said. “This is just one struggle that most women go through daily, and it’s like what else is there?”
Ortega got a laugh out of seeing all those men attempting to walk in high heels with shaky legs, although she’s happy that no one fell this year.
Communications major Frank Russell attended the event with TAMUK’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) organization and shared his experience walking in heels.
“I do not like heels,” Russell said with a laugh before getting serious. “It’s important to not shame someone for what they wear, and be respectful for people’s decisions no matter what gender or race they are. Just be a decent human being.”
The attendance was much higher than last year’s eight participants. Soliz accredits the rise to mandatory Greek Life involvement, and a prize of $100 donated to a charity chosen by the organization with the most members in attendance.