Sports

Wendy Davis filibuster rockets attention on running shoe

Sarah Hofmann Contributor
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Texas state Senator Wendy Davis’ 13-hour filibuster on June 25 didn’t just block a tough abortion bill. (SEE RELATED: Texas abortion bill fails after challenge) It also caused a national uproar over the shoes Davis wore.

Davis stood and spoke against Texas’ SB 5 abortion bill from 11am until midnight in the Texas state senate while wearing her neon pink Mizuno Wave Rider 16‘s.

The topic of her discussion was controversial enough that even Amazon reviews of her shoes are becoming a discussion board on abortion. Snarky reviews both supporting and opposing Davis’ actions have flooded the page since the filibuster.

One review supporting Davis reads, “I tried on a pair at the local mall and suddenly Texas Republicans started telling me what to do with my genitals.” Another supportive review is entitled “Marathon shoe for marathon filibustering.”

Some reviewers were unhappy with Davis’ actions. One review says, “These shoes were great for standing around in. However, after I had the shoes for about 20 weeks, one of them got stuck in my closet. It was very difficult to get out. The only way I could get it out was by inserting a set of pliers into the closet and pulling parts of the shoe out piece by piece.”

Regardless of the opinion, this might be the first time a political action has led to interest in a specific piece of footwear. Mizuno has not said definitively if it has seen a spike in sales, but the attention certainly doesn’t hurt.

 

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