Skip the Shoes, and Change the World

Women, you've been challenged. By skipping the next shoe purchase at Payless and instead sending that $26 to a political candidate, you could forever change politics. "They need to start enjoying that pleasure instead of pinched toes," says Democratic fundraiser Susie Tompkins Buell, the founder of Esprit clothing. The idea was suggested by the Woman's Campaign Forum in a new report that found women to be poor political donors. "What if you could change the world for the price of a pair of shoes? Women can," says the report. Consider: The average pair of shoes costs $26.75, and if women gave up one purchase in 2006 to a candidate, they would have donated $1.3 billion. "If we think about all the women who are buying shoes at $50, $100, $500, the power is enormous," adds the report.