Nike, I heard you were pulling up today, Sept. 4, for your release of the Dunk Low Disrupt, so I figured I'd write since, you know, the sneaker was made exclusively for women.
Even though today's the day, the world has yet to make its mind up about this sneaker. Instagram comments on photos of it range from flying hearts to trash can emojis. Will you win her—the female consumer—over today? You held it down for us before with the recent Off-White x Air Jordan 4s, and multiple drops from Melody Eshani and Aleali May. But let's be honest, the execution isn't always there; we females often find ourselves left behind in our male counterparts' dust. We need to level the playing field, Nike. It's long overdue.
This brings me to my next questions: What were the discussions like between the group of designers when working on the Dunk Low Disrupt? The designers who speak for the tastemakers and consumers that hold up the Swoosh. I've been asking myself, Do they simply Just Do It?
Truthfully, I'm not sure if I love or hate this sneaker. Matter of fact, it kind of reminds me of my ex, the type of shorty that looks mad for no reason. It's funny how it was designed to win over the female consumer. Nike, we drank the Swoosh juice a long time ago, so much so that we're still loyal to you, even when you miss the mark on female releases.
Do female drops always have to be a remix? You hit us with things like "reimagined" and "icons evolved," but why do we have to have an edgy or remixed design? Why can't shorty be a classic? You're trying too hard. Stop playing around and expand the size runs on your men's drops. No more of this starting at a men's size 7 or 8 bullshit. Is it that hard to include us in the exclusive drops you do? And we're not considering the rare size 4, 5, or 6s that appear on StockX for triple or quadruple the retail—those don't count. Don't make me relive the frustrating disappointment we females felt when Virgil's highly-anticipated "The 10" collection released. We all know how that went down.
Now, if I take away my purist mindset and allow some distortion, I can hear the subtle whispers of your '80s basketball catalog you took inspiration from for this sneaker. But that small glimmer of hope and understanding was swept away when I read through your description of the Dunk Low Disrupt. "A ladies-only, modern take on the legendary design that uses a platform stance and exaggerated proportions to create a uniquely feminine feel." Platform? Exaggerated proportions? Feminine feel? Excuse me if I sound like a broken record, but who said we wanted these things? We want sneakers, period.
What's funny is by scouring the internet and looking at feedback on this sneaker, men seem to want it more, which kind of feels like an L if you consider the fact that it's made for women. Of course, men want it, they're so used to getting everything else that any slightly different variation becomes their new flex—eye roll.
The truth is we all know that no matter what feelings we have, this is the new default sneaker that every girl from New York to Hong Kong will be wearing. That regardless of my opinion this shoe will be the shoe for so many women. The first time I saw it, I already knew which of my friends would think that they need it; the same friend that wears their Air Force 1s until they're beaten to the ground and thinks Olive Garden is fine dining—the friend who wants a pair of Dunks just to be able to say they have them.
So while the Dunk Low Disrupt sells out today, because it will, I'm asking you Nike, as a brand, to consider the fact that this isn't it. This isn't a classic. We asked for a dunk and this isn't a dunk. Us females want more inclusion in exclusive colorways in OG silhouettes and more female-led collaborations. We've never been shy about what we want, it's always been right in front of you. Here's hoping you eventually win her over. Until then, I'll hold this L.
