SHOE, uncomfortable footwear! You wear me out.

By: Caison Farley

In the 76 years that the Youth and Government program has gathered in Olympia, the appropriate attire has always stayed the same: Uncomfortable dress shoes, and relatively expensive clothing items. This has worked fine for many past years, but one of the questions that I hear repeatedly at YAG is, “Is all of this expensive clothing still necessary?”. In SB.07.11, “Freeing the Dogs”, Senator Emmali Simmelink, of the Walla Walla delegation, argues in favor of removing restrictions on shoes. “It seems unfair to need to purchase an expensive pair of shoes”, Senator Emmali argues, “The cost of shoes considered appropriate costs upwards of fifty dollars per pair”. Most people have a pair of shoes that they already use on a regular basis, and the requirements around dress shoes can be taxing on people who either don’t have the money to easily afford expensive dress shoes, or who can’t find a comfortable fit. 

Additionally, growing out of dress shoes is normal for 8-12th grade participants, so YAG participants who need to buy new pairs for multiple annual Olympia sessions could spend excess of 400+ dollars within 3-5 years of YAG JUST on shoes. Dress shoes can also go beyond being uncomfortable. Because of their lack of arch support and flexibility, wearing dress shoes for too long can cause blisters and foot pain, even after the shoes have been removed. For these reasons, participants in the Youth and Government would be highly benefited in wearing normal shoes, rather than expensive dress shoes, during session. As Senator Emmali puts it, “We, as students and people, deserve to function at our highest and best ability, and we cannot do that when we are uncomfortable or in pain”. If you support the allowance of comfortable footwear in Olympia, I encourage you to consider voting in favor of this bill. Additionally, if this is something you want to see actually happen in Olympia, then make sure to sign Initiative #7601, which proposes allowing comfortable shoes in legislative session in Olympia. Thank you, and remember:

“If the shoe wears you out, then it doesn’t make sense to wear it”.