TOMS Shoes and Eyewear markets itself as an accessories company with a conscience: for every pair of shoes customers buy, a pair is donated to children in need, and each pair of sunglasses provides sight to one person by glasses or optical surgery. While this mission is worthy of the positive press it receives, TOMS still falls prey to the practice of creating differences and drawing lines between genders where none need to exist.

The new line of TOMS lace-up shoes, called Paseos, are being marketed to an exclusively male audience, using catch phrases such as "Sorry girls, just for guys," "The first TOMS exclusively for guys," and "Girls, just 'cause you can't wear 'em doesn't mean you can't share 'em!" In creating this gendered distinction on a pair of shoes, TOMS is participating in a long-standing tradition of creating gender-specific products in a unisex market. Why are girls not allowed to wear Paseos? Is there a certain level of testosterone required for the laces to stay tied? We think not. 

TOMS themselves have admitted that women and girls are perfectly capable of wearing Paseos if they so desire, recommending that women size down 1.5 shoe sizes when ordering. If this is the case, why the gender-specific marketing? Let TOMS know that their charitable mission is not enough to excuse them from gender bias and exclusionary practices. Let's see the emphasis on "Just For Men" for TOMS Paseos shoes dropped from their advertising.