The Pinking of Women’s Footwear: Sneakers
Much has been written recently about the discrepancies in consumer products for males and females, particularly when it comes to kids. GoldieBlox tackled this issue with respect to girlie toys, the most amazing girl championed gender equality in the context of happy meals, and a mom blogger persistently questioned Target’s lack of clothing options for her daughter.
Across the board — there’s one consistent message sent to young women when it comes to clothes and toys: your things are different. They are based on different ideals, different gender norms, and different career paths. Science should be sparkly.
One area that hasn’t been examined, and that I personally take issue with, is footwear. More specifically, in the world of sneakers. I am a self-proclaimed sneakerhead. I have an assortment — from Blazers to Air Maxes — but I’m seriously limited in what I am able to purchase because of this gendered thinking.
You see the “pinking” of women’s footwear doesn’t stop at age ten. And it hasn’t been properly addressed.
Frankly, the sneaker selection for women today happens to suck. I’m looking at you Nike and Adidas. Let me explain why.
Not all women like pink and purple, which for some reason, are the Official Colors of Women. Women’s sneaker options today, produced by brands like Nike and Adidas, in the year 2014, are still covered in girly designs, from flowers to endless shades of pink and purple. At all ages. “Girly” colors. Women want more diverse offerings and equal footing (pun intended).
What are you supposed to do if you love sneakers, but don’t love the colors assigned to your gender and aren’t a women’s size ten or larger? Well, not much. Given how of the moment sneakers are for fashion editors, stylists, and “it girls” alike, it’s shocking that the options remain so limited. This is a photo from Paris Fashion Week last week.
Ten years ago, someone like Ricardo Tisci would never have designed a sneaker for Nike. For heavens sake, Isabel Marant made a Stan Smith look-alike with a wedge in it. So why aren’t the sneaker behemoths taking note? The purchasing power of women (and fashion) has been proven time and time again.
So here’s how my sneaker shopping normally goes:
I buy boys’ shoes, because I can, and because they are significantly cheaper. Plus pink and purple aren’t all over them. I can score a cool pair of dunks without feeling like I’m being glitter-bombed. But after that, it gets trickier. All of the men’s designs are often better, with of-the-moment colors and styles. But, in an effort to dissuade those in the size 7 market, men’s shoes are either rarely stocked, or issued on a limited basis. Why? Because then consumers can buy boys for less. But this system leaves women out who don’t have larger feet.
The real issue here: there are a lot of women that follow sneakers closely, myself included, but we can’t buy limited editions.
Cool sneakers like these limited edition Pro Bowls didn’t come in any size lower than an 8. They are the right amount of girly, but they’re for men. Sneaker brands aren’t often open to releasing limited editions in smaller sizes or boys sizes.
So you’d just buy the limited edition version for women, right? Nope. Limited editions (at least the exact same designs as men’s) are never made in women’s sizes. If they are, they get the pink label. For instance, this is what happens when you google “limited edition women’s sneakers.”
I know I’m not alone in this.
I demand that Nike and Adidas take note of these concerns. If for no other reason than they stand to make a lot of money from women like me. (Besides, you know, that whole equality thing.)
Meredith Fineman is the founder of FinePoint. You can read more of her writing here.
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