Guys in high heels raise awareness for sexual assault and child abuse

More than 50 men teetered, stumbled and tripped down the sidewalks of downtown Roseburg in bright-red and powder-pink stilettos Friday afternoon.

The guys strut their stuff in four-inch high heels as part of a national campaign to raise awareness for sexual assault and child abuse. Friday marked the first local “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event, something organizers plan to continue.

“Anything I can do to get people thinking about child abuse, I’m game,” Oregon State Police Lt. Doug Ladd said. “It’s the dirty little secret of our society that nobody wants to talk about.”

Ladd, who is the OSP station commander in Roseburg, slipped on his pink size 13 heels while sitting on the steps of the Douglas County Courthouse and kept them on for the entire mile walk through downtown.

“If I have to chase any bad guys today, they’re getting away,” he joked.

The men who participated had the choice of walking a mile themselves or forming teams of four and walking a quarter mile each. Some of the guys carried signs with slogans like “No means no,” “I respect women,” and “Rape hurts all of us,” to promote awareness about assault.

Men from ADAPT, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Reedsport Police Department, Umpqua Community College, the district attorney’s office and Roseburg Fire Department were among the dozens that donned heels for the walk.

“There’s a lot of real manly men here willing to do it,” Reedsport Police Chief Shawn Essex said.

While waiting for the trek to start, Essex discovered a way to rest his legs on the courthouse lawn.

“Just let the heels sink in the grass,” Essex advised fellow Reedsport Police Officer, John Funk.

Essex and Funk were also among a few men who sported nude-color pantyhose that stretched to the middle of their shins, a recommendation made to Funk by a woman.

“I was told pantyhose are the way to go,” he said.

The men took their first wobbly steps away from the courthouse and headed up Main Street and looped through downtown. While some of the guys stumbled the entire way, others got the hang of it.

“I’m doing pretty good on these,” Deputy District Attorney Dave Hopkins said, while walking on Main Street. “When you get that front to back motion going, they pretty much walk themselves.”

Hopkins stayed in the front of the pack of heeled men for most of the walk, but was tripped up before finishing the mile-long loop at the Battered Persons’ Advocacy office.

“It went well, but I lost my program in the end,” he said. “I took second. I blew out in the parking lot. It’s something to improve for next year.”

UCC student Angus Kittelman, 18, agreed that the walk got easier the further he walked.

“It started out kinda shaky,” he said. “I got my foot (his high heel) stuck in a vent twice. ... It got easier, but I think it’s because it got more and more numb down there.”

Candice Long, an organizer for the event and Sexual Assault Program Coordinator at the BPA, said the high heels were used to make the men embarrassed and to put them through a little pain as well.

“The idea is, ‘How uncomfortable can we make it to put a man in a woman’s shoes?’” Long said. “The hope is if we make it uncomfortable maybe it’ll make them stop and think about it, what it’s like for women who are sexually assaulted.”

Many of the guys joked about their blisters and sore feet at the end of the walk, but said the pain was worth the cause — drawing attention to a serious issue.

“It was a good opportunity to come together for a worthwhile event,” Essex said. “Awareness is what the event is all about. Everybody needs to feel safe.”

“The idea is, ‘How uncomfortable can we make it to put a man in a woman’s shoes?’” Long said. “The hope is if we make it uncomfortable maybe it’ll make them stop and think about it, what it’s like for women who are sexually assaulted.”

Many of the guys joked about their blisters and sore feet at the end of the walk, but said the pain was worth the cause — drawing attention to a serious issue.

“It was a good opportunity to come together for a worthwhile event,” Essex said. “Awareness is what the event is all about. Everybody needs to feel safe.”