Japanese women rebel against high heels and Spanish PM urges citizens to ditch neckties

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMDKRGIawIw

Women across Japan are fed up with having to wear high-heeled shoes to work. One woman is so fed up that she started a movement to end the requirement for female employees to wear the shoes. The movement has the hashtag KuToo. This is a combination of the Japanese words "kutsu" (which means shoe) and "kutsuu" (which is the Japanese word for pain). The movement was started by Japanese actress Yumi Ishikawa. She tweeted about her belief that employers in Japan should not require female workers to wear high heels. Ms Ishikawa also launched an online petition. It asks Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to forbid employers from requiring women to wear certain types of shoes.

Ishikawa's tweet is now spreading across other parts of Asia. Many women in China and South Korea have started their own campaigns against having to wear high heels. Ishikawa told TIME magazine: "I thought that if there are so many people who feel the same as me, why not start some sort of movement." Many women supported Ishikawa on social media. They complained about sore feet, bleeding heels, back pain and other health issues. A visually impaired woman in her 20s who has to wear high heels at work said it is difficult for her to keep her balance and not fall over. A recent survey found that over 70 per cent of women working in Tokyo wear high heels to work at least once a week.

Shoes with high heels are the fashion choice for many women around the world. However, a new study proves that wearing high heels over a long period of time can permanently injure the body. The study is from Stanford University in the USA. A team of biomotion researchers did tests on the knees of women when they walked in flat shoes, shoes with 3.8-cm heels and in shoes with 8.9-cm heels. The results send a warning to women who want to wear high heels that they risk permanent damage to their knees. They said high heels put knees in an awkward, bent position that makes them function like aged or damaged joints. This increases the risk of the condition osteoarthritis, which could require surgery.

Britain's Daily Express newspaper reports a recent survey of 1,200 women that shows how popular high heels are. It said 93 per cent of women say they felt sexier and more feminine when they wore heels, 88 per cent said they considered themselves more stylish and 77 per cent said their heels made them feel slimmer. Many women prefer to ignore health warnings, and even the pain and discomfort of wearing heels, to look and feel good. A British doctor, Tim Allardyce, said he regularly treats women with problems caused by wearing heels. He said: "The odd angle at which the feet are held in high-heeled shoes increases the downward pressure on the knees by 25 per cent, placing significant stress on the kneecaps."

And speaking of office attire, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has urged his fellow citizens to ditch their neckties to help save energy and the planet. Mr Sanchez made his plea at a press conference. He addressed journalists tieless, and called on Spanish people to follow his lead amid the country's months-long heatwave. He stated: "I would like you to see that I am not wearing a tie. I have asked all ministers and public decision-makers to do likewise. That means we can all save energy." He added: "I would also like to ask the private sector that…they should not wear a tie either because, in that way, we will all be contributing to the energy savings that are so necessary for our country."

Mr Sanchez said Spain would soon adopt "urgent" energy-saving measures to tackle the climate crisis, and to reduce its reliance on Russian gas. Many other European countries are doing what they can to be less dependent on Russia for fuel in the wake of the Ukraine War. It is as yet unclear what actions Mr Sanchez will take to save energy. His government has already set restrictions on the use of air conditioners and heating appliances in the workplace. The recent heatwaves and rising energy prices have taken their toll on Spain. More than 500 people have passed away in the past two weeks because of the heat. Spain has also introduced a relief package of $9.2 billion to help people pay energy bills.

Incidentally,Sanchez ,who was elected in 2018, had put women in some of the biggest positions in his cabinet, including head of defense, economy, education and finance , making Spain boast the highest proportion of women in top government positions than anywhere else in Europe. In a televised statement, Mr Sanchez had mentioned that  his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain forward. He  had said: "All are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect the best of Spain. They are open to the world but anchored in the European Union."

The incumbent prime minister seemed an unlikely leader. Back in 2018 , his Socialist party held  just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. When he took office, he had replaced  the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his austerity measures. The next general election will take place on Sunday December 10, 2023.

Sanchez earned a degree of business leadership from IESE Business School in the  University of Navarra, a private research university founded by Opes Dei founder St. Josemaria Escriva de Balguer. He is also a strong opponent of prostitution and supports its abolition. Despite these facts, he is an outspoken atheist.

Aside from Spanish, Sánchez speaks fluent English and French. He is the first Spanish prime minister fluent in English while in office (former PM Jose Maria Aznar  learned English after leaving office). Foreign languages were not widely taught in Spanish schools until the mid- 1970s, and former Prime Ministers were known for struggling with them.

1. ANYTHING: Students A strongly believe people should be able to wear anything to work; Students B strongly believe the opposite.  Discuss
2. FED UP: What are you fed up with about these things? Why? What can you do about it? Complete this table and share what you wrote .

	What?	Why?	What Can You Do?
English
Your town
Your local sports team
The world
Your routine

3.Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

1.	fed up	a.	A campaign by a group of people working together to change the world.
2.	movement	b.	Something someone thinks is true or real.
3.	requirement	c.	The joining of two or more things together.
4.	combination	d.	A thing that is needed; a necessary condition.
5.	belief	e.	Angry or upset at a situation or treatment.
6.	employer	f.	A list signed by many people to ask governments or organizations to change something.
7.	petition	g.	A person or organization that has people working for them.

    Paragraph 2

8.	campaign	h.	Not being able to see well (or at all).
9.	social media	i.	An organized course of action to achieve a particular goal.
10.	complained	j.	Losing blood from a part of the body.
11.	sore	k.	Being able to stand up straight without falling over.
12.	bleeding	l.	Said you were unhappy, angry or annoyed about something.
13.	visually impaired	m.	Painful or aching.
14.	balance	n.	Websites and apps that let users to create and share things or to join in social networking.

 Paragraph 3

1.	urged	a.	Surrounded by; in the middle of.
2.	fellow	b.	Helping to cause or bring about.
3.	plea	c.	Really tried to get someone to do something.
4.	amid	d.	A request made in an urgent and emotional manner.
5.	likewise	e.	Sharing qualities or characteristics with other people.
6.	private sector	f.	In the same way.
7.	contributing	g.	The businesses in a country that are not under direct state control.

    Paragraph 4

8.	tackle	h.	Dependence on or trust in someone or something.
9.	reliance	i.	Following someone or something, especially as a consequence.
10.	in the wake of	j.	The adverse effect of something.
11.	restriction	k.	Make big efforts to deal with a problem or difficult task.
12.	appliance	l.	A set of measures deigned to help people who are in difficult times.
13.	toll	m.	A device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific task.
14.	relief package	n.	A limiting condition or measure, especially a legal one.

Paragraph 5

1.	consists	a.	Chosen to hold public office or some other position by people voting.
2.	elected	b.	A part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.
3.	cabinet	c.	Is made up of.
4.	proportion	d.	A strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or job.
5.	statement	e.	A definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing.
6.	vocation	f.	Heavily attached to something.
7.	anchored	g.	A committee of the senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy.

    Paragraph 6

8.	parliament	h.	An estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.
9.	corruption	i.	A plan or course of action taken to achieve a particular purpose.
10.	austerity	j.	Make minor changes in (a text) in order to make it fairer, more accurate, or more up-to-date.
11.	measures	k.	The highest committee in a country. It makes all the decisions for running the country.
12.	amend	l.	Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, usually involving taking money illegally.
13.	outgoing	m.	Leaving an office or position, especially after an election defeat or completed term of office.
14.	budget	n.	Difficult economic conditions created by government measures to reduce a budget deficit, especially by reducing public expenditure.

 

4. SYNONYM MATCH 1: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. fed up
2. movement
3. combination
4. belief
5. forbid
6. spreading
7. feel
8. supported
9. complained
10. survey

1. opinion
2. protested
3. prohibit
4. mixture
5. circulating
6. tired of
7. backed
8. questionnaire
9. campaign
10. believe

SYNONYM MATCH 2:Match the following synonyms from the article

1.	proves	a.	disregard
2.	warning	b.	study
3.	permanent	c.	difficult
4.	awkward	d.	frequently
5.	require	e.	caution
6.	survey	f.	verifies
7.	stylish	g.	putting
8.	ignore	h.	need
9.	regularly	i.	fashionable
10.	placing	j.	indefinite

SYNONYM MATCH 3:Match the following synonyms from the article

1. urged
2. ditch
3. amid
4. likewise
5. contributing
6. adopt
7. dependent
8. restrictions
9. passed away
10. relief

1. in the middle of
2. died
3. playing a part in
4. reliant
5. abandon
6. limitations
7. aid
8. encouraged
9. approve
10. similarly

SYNONYM MATCH 4 :Match the following synonyms from the article

1. rise
2. formed
3. positions
4. proportion
5. reflect
6. unlikely
7. corruption
8. promised
9. amend
10. region

1. vowed
2. ratio
3. improbable
4. created
5. revise
6. show
7. up-and-up
8. district
9. dishonesty
10. posts

5.Role play # 1

Role  A – Defence You think defence is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): economy, health or education. Role  B – Economy You think economy is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): defence, health or education. Role  C – Health You think health is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): economy, defence or education. Role  D – Education You think education is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why):  economy, health or defence. OR Foreign Affairs Transport Sport Culture ·       6.Role play # 2: Hashtags Role  A – #MeToo Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ? Role  B – #Movember  Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ? Role  C –  #Stay Home Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ? Role  D –  #Sober October  Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ? Role  E –  #Black LivesMatter  Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ?  Role  F –  #Ice Bucket Challenge  Discuss this hashtag movement , what do you know about it and why did it become so popular. How effective was it ? Role G -#NotMyChristian Role H -  #Cuentalo Role I - A hashtag movement not on the list

7.Discussion - Japanese women rebel against high heels

1. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'high'?
2. What do you think of high heels?
3. Why do companies require women to wear high heels?
4. Have you ever been fed up with your shoes?
5. Should high heels have a health warning?
6. Are employers who require women to wear high heels bad?
7. Have you ever signed an online petition?
8. What advice do you have for women who have to wear heels?
9. What three adjectives best describe high heels?

11. What do you know about Spain´s PM?
12. How effective do you think his request will be ?
13. What was the person who invented high heels thinking?
14. Why don't men wear high heels?
15. What are the dangers of high heels?
16. Are high heels worth the pain?
17. What other fashion choices negatively affect our health?
18. Could women sue companies that make high heels if they need surgery?

8.Spelling

Paragraph 1

1. a movement to end the quemerneirt
2. This is a ocniaitmobn
3. eeruqri female workers
4. launched an online pneitiot
5. forbid pemryseol
6. wear critnea types of shoes

Paragraph 2

7. started their own capnigsam
8. on social maied
9. A luavlsyi impaired woman
10. keep her calaben
11. A cnetre survey
12. at slaet once a week

Paragraph 3

1. urged his fellow itenicsz
2. made his pela at a press conference
3. He edddsaser journalists tieless
4. daim the country's months-long heatwave
5. all mrsinties and public decision-makers
6. the private ocrtes

Paragraph 4 

7. adopt "urgent" energy-saving eamsruse
8. reduce its clirenea on Russian gas
9. be less petddeenn on Russia
10. His government has already set rtinsesciotr
11. heating psaenlapci
12. introduced a efreli package of $9.2 billion