Heads turned as a crowd of 1,500 walked through downtown Columbia for Walk a Mile in Their Shoes on Thursday evening. The event is known for its unique and fun approach of having men walk a mile in women’s high heels in order to bring attention to sexual violence against women.
The seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was hosted by the Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands (STSM) as a way to raise money for STSM and spread awareness about the free services that are offered to survivors of sexual assault and violence.
Men, women, children and even some four-legged friends, gathered in front of the Statehouse where music, food, massages and games for kids were set up. USC’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority, the Columbia Police Department and the South Carolina Department of Corrections were among the larger organizations that participated in the walk.
“Sometimes we don’t think about domestic violence, and I think this event is a great way for everyone to see it," said first-year political science student Sarah Polidor. "It affects everyone, and even on college campuses it’s a huge problem.”
The walk gives men the opportunity to raise awareness about sexual violence towards women and show that they support women. Some went all out when it came to their footwear of choice. The styles ranged from wedges to pumps to stilettos, and many decorated their shoes for the event.
The local men’s roller derby team, The Carolina Wrecking Balls, sported their roller derby uniforms and coordinating orange heels as they participated in their second walk. Wrecking Balls member Nathan Michael Sundell said that part of the point of the walk is to discourage the objectification of women based on what they wear.
“It’s really important that women feel comfortable as well as everyone in the community feels comfortable being out in public in whatever they want to be out in public in,” Sundell said.
The walk began at the Statehouse and continued down Main Street where participants were cheered on by onlookers and people dining outside restaurants. Walkers carried signs and banners, and some began chants throughout the crowd. Many emotions could be seen throughout the crowd of survivors, loved ones and supporters. Laughter was a common occurrence as the men stumbled around, limping and complaining to women who know the pain all too well.
As the walk circled back to its starting point, men littered sidewalks, benches and steps of the Statehouse as they began to remove their heels. Warren Connor had a shoe malfunction when the strap of his shoe broke, and he continued the walk with just one shoe. The small hiccup didn’t affect his experience of doing the walk, but rather gave him a new understanding of what the walk is about.
“My feet are killing me. ... [But] just like this walk, when your shoes fail, things don’t go right in life, but you just keep going," he said. "You rebound the best way you can and use the support around you and you get through it.”