Put the boot in to fight sexism at work

There is no purpose to a high heel, other than to sexualise, writes Suzanne Harrington

MEN! How would you feel about being required to wear high heels to work every day? A few of you might love it, maybe if you’re Panti Bliss or Eddie Izzard or the LadyBoys of Bangkok. But most of you would probably think, ugh how uncomfortable, I feel like a giraffe on rollerblades, oh no I’m pitching forward, I can’t run for the bus, ow ow ow, my back hurts, my feet are killing me, crikey, these things are a nightmare.

Massive shout out then to Nicola Thorp, who unexpectedly asked this question on her first day as a temp at PriceWaterhouseCooper in London. Thorp, an actress, was sent home for not wearing heels. The organisation’s ‘female grooming policy’ requires women to wear high heels — two to four inch — so that they look ‘feminine’. Thorp had not turned up to her receptionist job in hobnailed boots, but in smart black work shoes. Flat ones.