Work is an important part of our everyday lives. We do it to become independent, give our life meaning, follow our passion or for financial security. But there are also things about our workplaces that we don’t like. Like the gender wage gap and the tiring commute. For some of us though, our biggest pet peeve is the office dress code.
Yumi Ishikawa, a 32-year-old model and actress from Japan had similar grievances. She decided to speak up against workplaces that required Japanese women to wear high heels to the office. That is how the #KuToo movement was born.
#KuToo is a nod to the #MeToo movement. The name is derived from the Japanese words kutsu (shoe) and kutsuu (pain). The movement that started with Yumi’s tweet now has thousands of women protesting against the modern form of ‘foot binding’.
Yumi told TIME magazine that she has also started a petition on change.org urging the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to make it illegal for firms to enforce high heels as part of their dress code. The petition has already received 14,000 signatures.
Apart from being sprained ankles, heels also cause blisters, bruises and back pain. The aim of this movement is to allow women to choose their own footwear for work. It also seeks to shatter the notion that flats are not appropriate or formal.
Not a few of the workplaces in Japan make it a rule for women to wear heels while it has nothing to do with the job description. Job seekers are too afraid to choose shoes without heels because there’s an unspoken dresscode for women to instruct them to wear heels.#sexism #KuToo pic.twitter.com/AYYnFftKn8
— ゆ (@fearofbigleaves) March 19, 2019
Here are some of the #KuToo movement posts that have been shared by female professionals.
1.
https://twitter.com/hayeong_second/status/1106483279375400960
2.
I wore high heels every workday for nine years in Tokyo… now, after three years back in the states, my feet are finally beginning to recover. #KuToo https://t.co/LcDHbgXV32
— Nicolai Kruger (@nicolai_kruger) March 21, 2019
3.
Save the feet of Japan! And those of every other country/culture where high heel madness endures. https://t.co/MGMSr5xYVd #KuToo #flatsforever pic.twitter.com/rOs1cgBZr2
— Charlotte Hunter (@EerieOg) March 21, 2019
4.
https://twitter.com/kayeko3/status/1108693878993870849
5.
So basically someone on tv said “oh women are saying “sexist” to everything!🤦🏼♀️
The whole point of this #KuToo is freedom for women to wear whatever fucking shoe they want. If you wanna wear heels, go for it. No one is stopping you. But don’t force it on those that don’t want to. https://t.co/b0MRUeMvS9— Kazuna Yamamoto / 山本和奈🏳️🌈 (@kazuuuuuuuus) March 12, 2019
6.
@ishikawa_yumi fighting so that women can wear anything they want during work.
Wearing heels by choice is absolutely fine, I wear them too. But forced during work, ESPECIALLY if you’re standing the whole day? no. #KuToohttps://t.co/Kz2s9ACxZt— Kazuna Yamamoto / 山本和奈🏳️🌈 (@kazuuuuuuuus) February 7, 2019
According to WebMD, high heels put a lot of pressure on the ball of the foot which can inflame or sometimes even fracture the bones. Wearing heels over long periods of time is actually unhealthy. So, we sincerely hope that this movement is successful and women in Japan are given the freedom to ditch painful high heels.