This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Nine West's Sexist Shoe Campaign Gives Women 2 Ridiculous Options (PHOTOS, TWEETS)

Nine West Rolls Out Insanely Sexist Shoe Campaign

If you ask Nine West, there are only two occasions in which women need to buy new shoes.

For the "First Day of Kindergarten," meanwhile, the retailer suggests footwear such as Disheveled Platform Booties ($169).

And ... that's about it. Nine West has no recommendations for a long day at the office, speaking at a conference or making a major presentation to company shareholders.

Nope, apparently the only two occasions in which the company is willing to market shoes for women is when they're hunting for a man or dropping the kids off at school.

Just take a look at one of the ads:

This is not the only offensive photo to emerge from the company. Another ad reads "Anticipatory Walk of Shame" and shows a woman carrying a leopard-print handbag with flip flops inside.

Nine West introduced the marketing campaign last week and said its aim was to depart from the company's traditional approach which involved photos of models and shoes with little text, spokeswoman Erika Szychowski told The New York Times.

"Over the course of the last decade, as we’ve started to have competitors which didn’t exist when we were founded, we lost some of that little sparkle that occurred in someone’s eyes when they talked about the brand," she said.

Szychowski went on to say that the ads are not offensive, and that the campaign is resonating with people.

It certainly is, though perhaps not in the way that the company intended.

Meanwhile, The New Republic came up with a few other occasions for which women might need to buy new shoes.

Among them: commuting, hipster biking and (our favourite) running from bears.

Like Us On Facebook |

Follow Us On Twitter

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.