So I just got an email from Schuh…

Well quite.

And I for one would love to see a wide variety of styles in a much bigger size range.

It needs a transwoman with size 12cfeet to ask for a ladies' style in that size and kick off about the company's failure to be inclusive despite all their rainbow-washing!

If they talk the talk, they need to walk the walk, too, or it's just warm, smelly air wafting up everyone's nose.

Maybe there's concern about cats being misgendered?

Even my cats Dreamies treat packet was virtue signalling with LGBTQA allegiance stuff on it. What’s it got to do with cat treats? I’m all for rights for everyone but this virtue signalling by companies getting boring.

I'm not against the idea of shoe companies expanding their range, and with more individually made items maybe that will happen, but realistically, the reason more companies don't do this is that there aren't that many people who want the relevant shoes in expanded sizes.

But I have a hard time feeling that people are being seriously oppressed by western clothing standards in any case, we really have more comfortable clothes, more variety, and more accepted variation around individual choice, than almost any society, ever. The most oppressive element to my mind is the sexualisation of popular/fashionable clothing for women and particularly young women.

Anyway - yes to virtue signalling by businesses. And may I add, universities. I've had several emails from my university this year stating their position on things which have nothing to do with their institution, and haven't even occurred in the same country. But I guess that is easier than creating an atmosphere of academic integrity.

@CorvusPurpureus, that's brilliant 😄💛.

I love the shoe buddy anecdote. It’s why I keep coming back to MN.

I totally agree @LongBlobson

@EndoplasmicReticulum quite! Imagine if GC feminists and trans people teamed up to say hey Schuh, don't patronise us with your virtue signalling emails, make some actual change to the products you're offering...

Unlikely! My cousin is an amputee & has a Shoe Buddy who has the other leg.

Every time one of them buys a pair of shoes he sends the unwanted one to the other chap. Apparently they don't always have the same taste, but over 20 years they've both saved a few quid & he says it's fun getting a parcel with a random trainer.

LongBlobson you have a good point, but many of these companies don't intend to actually do anything useful. Expanding "women's" range into bigger sizes would be of practical use to transwomen who wanted that style as well as us women with big feet. But that requires more effort from a company. Sending an email costs them very little and allows them to tick a diversity box. See also Green washing.

I'd be annoyed to get this email.

But wouldn't it be great if the increased visibility of trans people meant Schuh and other companies started offering a much wider variety of styles and fits in all sizes, rather than categorised just as 'women' and 'men'. That would be an improvement for a lot of people, both sexes and any gender expression. Personally as a tall female with large, wide feet and non-'girly' taste I'd really welcome this across all clothing and shoe shops!

Hopefully there will be some positive changes to come from the trans movement. We're stuck on some particular points of disagreement, which currently feel impossible to resolve, and make it hard to listen to each other properly, especially online, but I reckon there's a lot most of us would agree on if we got to know each other in real life.

I can't get behind the demands made by the trans activists, but that's because I think that logically there are wider implications for women if they are applied at a policy level. Not because I don't like trans people, or care about how they feel.

Sorry bit of a tangent!

Late to this thread. I got the Schuh email. They are not the only company doing this though. I used to subscribe to the newsletter of an American hair extensions brand, InsertNameHere, back in June I got an email 'let's talk pronouns' with the advice at the end to 'forward this to educate a friend'. In 20 years of subscribing to online store newsletters this is the first issue on which I have recieved emails telling me what to think and how to behave as regards a particular issue.

Thank Goodness the people of Ramallah can rejoice they can no longer buy an overpriced tub of sugar and fat with suspicious things in.

Clothes for men and women are manufactured differently even in the same size; men are more bulky than women. Its just a biological difference between the sexes.
So a size 6 in a men's shoe would usually be loose on me and the bridge too high.

I’m actually quite angry on gender dysphoric and gender non-confirming people’s behalf. They are appropriating their struggle for a marketing campaign, whilst making not one tiny improvement to the range of shoes available to them. I would be fuming!

On the subject of inclusion, my MIL wears differently sized shoes on each foot due to disability. A small discount on buying a second pair would be a practical thing they could do if they wanted to be more inclusive.

I suppose this is just the corporate version of 'slactivism' , be seen to be doing something, without actually having to do anything.

The James Kirkup article is spot on. We want good companies who pay their staff fairly, treat them well etc. All things that cost actual money and time and effort.

Instead we get this nonsense. It's the lazy way of demonstrating that you are doing good. Just so they can tick the diversity box.

It's like they all went to the same powerpoint meeting about 'being down with the kids'.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions I told them that I had subscribed for shoes not lessons in pronouns and as such I would unsubscribe - which I now have

Instead of pretending to be activists on social media, businesses that want to do something socially beneficial — and that means almost all companies — should talk less and act more, with action focused on the people and places closest to them. Never mind telling us what you think about the Middle East, trans rights or statues of dead white men. I want to know how you treat your staff, your suppliers and your neighbours.

I’m far from alone in that. Recent think tank research shows that the public want companies to be good citizens but not by sounding off online.

Instead of pretending to be activists on social media, businesses that want to do something socially beneficial — and that means almost all companies — should talk less and act more, with action focused on the people and places closest to them. Never mind telling us what you think about the Middle East, trans rights or statues of dead white men. I want to know how you treat your staff, your suppliers and your neighbours. A small selection