Kinky Boots

The movie Kinky Boots apparently focuses on fashion. As the title suggests, it is of special concern to the style of footwear, one of the components of fashion. For fashion trend enthusiasts, it is not only the dress or the suit that counts; the footwear is also of equal value. To many, the brand is the top consideration. Some are on the go for the comfy ones. Still, others search for the cheapest of the cheapest. But one thing’s for sure though: there are no shoes exclusively designed for gays and lesbians. The movie, you see, is no doubt a breakthrough, the first of its kind. At first, it involves a traditional shoe factory manufacturing shoes intended to fit both the conventional sexes, that is, for males and females. When Charlie, however, in his desperate attempt to save the factory, meets Lola, a surprisingly avant-garde line of footwear is launched: sexy boots designed for drag queens. Well, this is pretty justifiable considering the fact that chanteuses are forced to wear women’s footwear, shoes not too sturdy to bear the weight of a man and, of course, prone to breakage at bad times. As the main source of entertainment, music is also apparently shown in the movie. Lola, with his enticing voice and moves, not only impresses his live audience in the bar but also us, who merely watched him on TV. Although not totally manifested, the television and advertising aspects of pop culture can also be seen in the movie. Some shoe brands, whose exact names I can’t recall, were mentioned, and the fashion show towards the end undoubtedly advertises shoe products. Needless to say, the aim of advertising couldn’t be better achieved without the help of the television.

The fact that the boots are custom-designed for transvestites is one aspect of the movie that could potentially be unpopular to the general public. Although gradually gaining the acceptance of some conservatives, cross-dressing and unusual sex behaviors have long and still been considered taboos, especially in some societies where the rule and dominance are still based on a narrow patriarchal mindset. When Charlie seemed to accept Lola’s gender wholeheartedly in the workplace and in front of his employees, it was quite astonishing to see him demean Lola before his townsmen at a restaurant in Northampton. This is, in fact, the perfect circumstance of homophobia still in command today. But despite the fact that transvestites appear to have no place in the social realm, Lola establishes that sans his character, the film would never have been an ultimate crowd-pleaser. Another aspect that may not be too popular is the profession of making shoes. Seldom can we find youngsters in the 21^st century aspiring to become a shoe-maker. (Well, designing could be a better term, of course) Many, especially Filipinos, would rather seek to land “high brow” occupations like law and medicine.

Does the movie have the makings of a classic? I think it has. The formulaic but unique story, the interesting characters and the perfect blend of drama and humor are more than enough for it to stand the test of time. Lola is the picture perfect embodiment of a cross-dressing archetype, but his innate skill to elicit laughter and smiles is just as excellent as any humorist could have. Besides, the film has the subject that is something really new, and it might just be the pioneer for some more films whose main goal is to bring about acknowledgement, if not total recognition to gender types not fit to the conventional men and women.

Courtesy of our gender class last year, I’ve realized that gender is a mere social construct and that it has nothing to do with the person’s whole package and dignity. Kinky Boots further reminds me of the same idea...