Red heels are the mark of designer Christian Louboutin, whose shoes are a status symbol in the footwear world. But to the online military community, they could be anything from an act of rebellion against uniform regulations to a downright financially irresponsible purchase.
US Army WTF Moments shared an image of a female service member in dress blues sporting her likely hard-earned Louboutins, noting that they aren’t sexist for doing so. But the tweet ultimately drew backlash as a majority of the responses from military Twitter indicate support for a woman’s right to choose her own ($695) shoes.
User @LethalityJane points out that “the male jodhpur boot specifies that the sole cannot be a contrasting color but there are no such specifications for the female service pump,” adding, “commercial designs are authorized.”
While men are held to the standard of seeking out dress shoes “with a noncontrasting heel and sole,” that same stipulation is not required of women, who are free to select any pump “of a commercial design in black or white fabric. The pumps are untrimmed, with a closed toe and heel. The heel must be at least 1/2 inch but no more than 3 inches. The sole thickness will not exceed 1/2 inch. When a handbag is carried, the shoes and handbag must be made of the same material.”
Honestly, I hope she got a cute bag to match those heels. And several others agree, including this user who paints a harrowing but fierce picture of the kind of soldier I’d follow into battle.
But still, there were the naysayers.
“How the crap can she afford $1k shoes to wear in uniform?!?!” wrote user @Hunterrider, as if no other service member has invested their life savings on a PlayStation 5 or bought a Camaro and financed it at 27 percent. But go off.
“And this would be a big no for the AF,” she adds. “Heels are too high, the telltale signature makes them faddish.”
Faddish? You mean something that is contemporarily desirable and stylish?
To quote Mrs. Gardiner from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ “Take care, my love. That savours strongly of bitterness.”
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.
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christian louboutinmilitary uniformobservation postarmy uniformfemale soldierwomen in combatArmy WTF Moments
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