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The thing about toms, is that some people will like that you wear shoes that 'care for a cause', others will be disgusted with how ugly they are, because face it: you can donate the money you saved on not buying fug shoes and do jut as much (actually way more) good, and some people may think you haven't taken the time to think for yourself about the outcome of your toms purchase and that you are instead 'drinking the koolaid'.
There is a toms counter movement, called a day without dignity that makes several very valid points about how Toms are hurting not just the economies of the impoverished countries on the receiving end of the fee shoes, but also the culture where people forgo buying shoes for their children because they know the 'white people' have brought free shoes to their village before. Toms is in the for profit business (nothing wrong with that) but their sales are based entirely off of a marketing ploy that leads us to feel good about our purchase as if we are making a donation to a non profit.
Sorry I know that was a big lane swerve, but I just keep thinking about how one of the chapters on my campus wore toms for philanthropy night last year and how much it turned me off. I'm not sure if a PNM wearing toms would turn me off, but it certainly wouldn't lead me to think 'oh i must have this girl, she cares about africa' Just my .02
(and yes I finally got a user name just to post about the toms shoes)
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