I’ve been reading [Hypebeast] since I was in high school. Because of this, I’ve been conditioned to read it daily trying not to miss any crucial updates. Blogs aren’t invincible. In more ways than one, it’s more likely that they will slip up. However, it’s because of my long history with Hypebeast that when they make a mistake like this, it hits harder.
On Sunday, Hypebeast shared the news of the Air Jordan 4 Retro SE WMNS Starfish on their blog and social accounts. It was their Twitter, however, that had the statement, “Unfortunately, just for women.” This statement wasn’t used on Instagram or their longer blog post. What exactly is so unfortunate about this sneaker being made and designed for women? It’s as if women haven’t been constantly excluded from sneaker styles and sizes for years. Hypebeast had an opportunity here to make this release positive for women and instead, they completely missed the mark.
To my knowledge, no apology statement has been given. Some may chalk this up to a very minor mistake, a word slip up, but don’t you see how much that word makes a difference? I wish this release could have been celebrated. Let’s talk about how strong the intention was to create a sneaker that is so exclusive, it’s only for women. Maybe next time.
[Source]