https://people.com/style/supermodel-kristen-mcmenamy-falls-on-valentino-runway-throws-off-her-shoes/

I chose to discuss the recent runway fall of Kristen McMenamy and the several sides of support and distaste for herself and Valentino. 

The site linked above addresses the comments of the original Twitter post and thread that I looked at as well as posts on TikTok and Instagram that address the same event. 

Kristen McMenamy is an iconic model who has been in shows since the 80s and has walked in several high-fashion runway shows, especially for Valentino and various fashion weeks. At the last Valentino show for the spring/summer 2023 collection on January 26th, McMenamy struggled a bit with her heels before falling to her knees. She proceeded to take them off out of frustration and got back up to continue her walk. She seemed quite wobbly after, but she finished with confidence. 

There is a wide range of comments from bashing McMenamy and Valentino to concern for McMenamy. Many people noted McMenamy’s awkward and uncomfortable walk after she took her heels off, saying that her normal walk without heels caused her walk with heels to make her fall. Others defended McMenamy and that after her painful wobbling stint with the heels, a normal person wouldn’t be able to comfortably walk straight after. 

On the other hand, there seem to be more comments criticizing Valentino for the comfort and usage of their shoes as well as their organization of models. Many people said things like “taking this off my wishlist” and “never buying Valentino shoes” after seeing models fall from wearing them time and again. People also noted that the shape of the dress allowed for limited leg movement, adding another point against buying Valentino for lack of functionality. Several commenters found fault with Valentino for having incorrectly sized shoes and forcing their models to walk in them. 

People noted that this is not the first Valentino show where models have had issues walking in their heels, but it’s also not the first recent show where McMenamy fell on the runway.

The conversations in the replies are not very deliberative, but more so people finding openings to spread their opinion on the matter rather than listen to other views. The initial poster referenced in the article replied multiple times to criticize Valentino and defend the model. Any replies that seriously berated the model’s ability to walk had the initial poster swinging into McMenamy’s defense. There wasn’t much back and forth between people and it was just people voicing their own thoughts, even if it was unrelated to the post (as is the nature of Twitter).

I personally am quite invested in the defense of the McMenamy given that she is a staple runway model since the 80s, but I have a different opinion on her status as a model: McMenamy is now 58 years old with a daughter. Does she still walk amazingly on runways with only a few slip-ups here and there? Yes. But maybe it’s time to rethink if she should continue to walk, especially given that she’s had more falls in recent years. I also agree that because there is a pattern of Valentino models having issues with their shoes that the brand should be held accountable for creating products that are painful for their models to walk in. 

The deliberation in this Twitter thread was not very deliberative, but more people talking without listening, which seems to be a trending issue with conversations in the online world.