Ben Pechey
- Apr 13, 2018
- 2 min read

Head over Heels for Tskenya

Acceptance is an easily defined word, to me, it means validation, that I am of equal value to those who grant acceptance. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it can be hard to feel that you have acceptance from society. This feeling can be compounded when your choices and preferences do not typically suit the gender binaries that society has placed upon you. As a gender fluid person, my genetic makeup is male, but a lot of my tastes and personality traits blur the lines of gender.

I choose to wear clothes regardless of label and pick and choose because as I wish, however, shoes are harder to do this with. I wear a UK10 (US11 EU44/45) and this means that I am stuck with Mens shoes, which on the whole is fine. However, sometimes I want to spice things up a little and throw on a heel.

In steps Tskenya, a brand that has created a range of inclusive heels in sizes 8-13. The creator of the line herself has size 9 feet and created the line as an antidote to her problems, but also saw how many other people could benefit from the creation of such shoes. In creating these shoes Tskenya offers a physical form of validation and in doing so offers the commercial form of acceptance.

Getting to wear these shoes felt amazing. Putting my feet into something made in the size I wear gave me a rush of love, the support my arch received was not just because of the cushioned lining but also the very fact that a company made these for people like me.

With thank you to the wonderful Natalie Blain of Propaganda Magazine and Jamie Windust of Fruitcake Magazine for including me in this shoot. Both their inaugural issues launch very soon, so follow them to find out more.