Elections in Brescia, the center-right takes “a walk in heels in the center in support of women”: the left responds with slippers

Stiletto heels on one side and comfortable slippers on the other: in Brescia the local elections next May also involve footwear, specifically women’s shoes. The controversy was sparked by the “Walk in Heels” (preferably pink, as specified on the promotional flyer), organised from the Brescia Really civic list, which supports the centre-right candidate Fabio Rolfi: to the initiative – in the intentions of the creator Arianna Todeschini, candidate leader, a way to “support women’s empowerment” – was contrasted a flash mob in slippers wanted by the Brescia Attiva list, lined up instead with the centre-left candidate Laura Castelletti, current deputy mayor.

Both events were held in the very central Piazza Vittoria: “Are you near Brescia and strolling in the centre? Go to Piazza Vittoria with your most beautiful slippers – wrote the representatives of Brescia Attiva on the official social channels of the list – There are well other ways to ensure the participation and role of women in society. Heels can also be worn. Or not”.

Anna Frattini, from the Democratic Party, is even clearer according to which “walking in heels is an initiative that does not amuse women, but demeans them. This event in fact reinforces the stereotyped identity of femininity which is exactly contrary to the needs of today’s women – she declares – Promoting such an event means affirming that women must wear heels, just as they must dye their hair white or dress in a certain way, if they want to be pleasing in the eyes of men”.

Because “being women is not enough to deal with equality, to tell the truth, being women is not even a requirement – continues Frattini, candidate supporting Castelletti in the elections of 14 and 15 May – It is not enough to be women, because in order to imagine and implement policies that concretely know how to give the majority of the population the rights they deserve is not a game. We need to study, train, compare situations in other states, count the numbers of the gender gap”.

The layout of the invitation to the event itself was also highly contested, featuring not only pink high-heeled shoes, but also two perfect legs and the specification “open to all women from Brescia”. A clarification that leaves Anna Frattini perplexed: “I wonder: what if there were some men who wanted to participate in the walk in heels? ‘Open to all Brescian women’ reads the invitation. So no, they could not participate. Men can be kept waiting at the bar, for breakfast”.

For its part, promoter Todeschini defends walking in heels arguing that “the initiative, already used in various Italian and foreign cities to convey social messages, wanted to highlight, even in a symbolic and fresh way, an important theme – she wrote on Instagram – namely the difficulties that women experience every day juggling work and family. Caterina Avanza, candidate for the city council for Action, also received the gimmick in a very critical way: “The image used for the demonstration is counterproductive: two absolutely perfect woman’s legs, with stiletto heels and a miniskirt – he explains in a note – For years there have been studies showing that these fake images, retouched with Photoshop, have very negative effects on young women. Body perception disturbances assume very important proportions in our society and are at the origin of many eating disorders among girls”.

The graphics chosen for the flyer “may also be a detail, but if at least those who run for leadership of an important city like Brescia broke away from stereotypes, they would already be a step forward” continues Avanza, noting that “on the program of the centre-right candidate, among the 12 chapters that compose it, there is none dedicated to gender equality policies”. In short, “everything is wrong: the reading of the need, the idea of ​​how to solve it, the people to turn to” denounces Anna Frattini, who then provocatively asks the center-right: “Don’t worry about us, don’t do it in the name of women, because for us there is no standard to respect, we forcefully claim the freedom to be what makes us feel good, not what is functional for something else”.