Finally, it’s that time of year again when fall is in the air and Otterbein’s campus is covered with students stylishly sporting jackets, jeans and … TOMS?
In a relatively recent amount of time, the voguish popularity of TOMS shoes has dramatically increased, briskly making its way to college campuses nationwide with Otterbein being no exception.
Though Otterbein students have yet to establish an official TOMS Campus Club, no student can doubt the abundance of this consumer-conscious footwear surrounding every square foot of campus. Especially being students of a private liberal arts college, we are more than willing to sacrifice a little extra cash to proudly show our support for such a significant cause.
Yet amid the admirable idea of supporting the “One for One” organization (for every pair bought, one goes to a child in need), where does the humanity-oriented concept of TOMS shoes stop being associated with terms like inspirational and influential only to be replaced with more fashionably superficial terms like adorable or cute?
We all know the gist of TOMS creator Blake Mycoskie’s motivational mission to change the world by giving back, but students nationwide (I am guilty of this also) are becoming unconsciously consumed with transforming the idea of TOMS from a shoe with a cause into this fall’s fashion statement.
This is not to say that students are unaware of the fact that TOMS does support a charitable cause, but it is evident that the original purpose of this organization has been somewhat lost.
To evaluate Otterbein’s knowledge, here are a few quick questions involving Mycoskie’s chivalrous cause:
1. Of all the possible clothing items, why does the TOMS organization choose to distribute shoes?
2. What are the high-need countries TOMS donates the majority of its products to?
3. Who is really in charge of distributing the shoes worldwide?
Before I decided to write this article, I did not know the correct answers to any of these questions.
The TOMS organization specifically chose to donate shoes not only for health and safety reasons, but also because many children could not attend school because wearing shoes was part of the required uniform.
In 2010, TOMS contributed vast quantities of footwear to the high-need countries of Peru, Argentina, South Africa, Ethiopia and Rwanda, among many others. TOMS shoes are not solely distributed by the TOMS organization, but through programs in the high-need countries and the Peace Corps, who support the wealth of children worldwide.
Despite the creation of intriguing events like One Day Without Shoes, where individuals are encouraged to spread poverty awareness by going shoeless all day, if we are not informed about the cause, we still run the risk of losing sight of what is truly important.
There is so much more to the TOMS organization than initially meets the eye, but if we let TOMS develop exclusively into a popular clothing trend, then the brilliant idea behind this incredible organization will fade out as soon as the next fashion fad hits store shelves.
