Dr. Martens prides themselves on their long and distinguished history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community. It's a really, really big deal to them. And while Pride Month of course is a great time to dedicate themselves to uplifting queerness (and selling their signature platform boots, of course), their love for queerdom isn't limited to just one month out of the year. They actually encourage their customers to celebrate Pride all year long.
And one of the things their customers can do to celebrate Pride is to DIY their Docs. They've got a whole section on their site where customers can see how fellow Dr. Martens aficionados have embellished their boots with their own artistic flourishes. As of right now, the first artist featured is Jess Voseteig, a Colorado artist who "loves illustrating to empower all genders, break gender stereotypes, and promote body positivity/neutrality. Jess wants her audience to feel seen and heard in her work, be empowered to be themselves, educate others, and push societal norms!" Dr. Martens are really impressed with the statement Jess is making with her personal boot art. And we have no doubt you will be, too:
.@drmartens sells boots to advertise cutting off the breasts of healthy girls. pic.twitter.com/KnB3CkwnTP
— Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) July 31, 2023
Now, it's important to point out that Dr. Martens isn't selling this boot design, per se. You can't purchase these boots through their site, and the boots don't appear to be for sale on Jess Voseteig's personal site. But Dr. Martens is definitely promoting Jess' message, which apparently includes that young women getting mastectomies in order to live as young men is a healthy, empowering image of "body positivity." And Dr. Martens definitely deserves to get flamed for that.
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.@drmartens is advertising a new pride themed shoe featuring a female with a double mastectomy scar. pic.twitter.com/cvsNn7eJcZ
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 31, 2023
Dr. Martens doesn't need to be selling the boot themselves in order to be selling what the boots represent.
WTAF
— Andrew Macaulay (@AndrewLMacaulay) July 31, 2023
WTAF indeed. Who looks at something like this and doesn't even blink twice? Who looks at "art" depicting mutilated young women's bodies and thinks, "This is normal and good?" Yes, "normal" and "good" are subjective terms, but at some point you've got to be able to recognize when they're not subjective anymore. "Gender-affirming care" for young people is not normal, and it's not good. It's inherently unhealthy and wrong.
At this point, I am convinced that women and girls and population growth in the west are under attack. It is really insidious and scary
— Molly (@Molly03080580) July 31, 2023
And if companies like Dr. Martens can't or refuse to recognize that, then they deserve to wind up in the corporate ashtray.
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