If you’re going to release shoes celebrating an iconic female character, you’re probably not even going to stop and wonder if they’ll be available to women. Because that’s a no-brainer, right? Obviously they’ll be marketed to everyone.

Reebok celebrates Ellen Ripley by selling her shoes in men’s sizes only

The company is now saying that categorising them as “men’s shoes” was a mistake, and as for the limited sizing, well, um, LOOK OVER THERE!

(Please note: ‘men’s’ and women’s sizes are kind of nonsense and cisnormative concepts and we’re shirty about how they’re being sold.)

Meanwhile:

This is another element of the #wheresrey issue: often, when female characters do get merch, it’s … for dudes only.

Guys. Quokkas. Come on. It’s sweet that you’re trying to compensate for the wage gap by giving us fewer things to spend our money on, but here we are, trying to participate in the capitalist exploitation of our interests! It’s like you don’t even want our dainty lady dollars!

Now, before you come in to tell us that this is a #firstworldproblem (lifehack: don’t ever tell us, especially Stephanie, that something is a first world problem), we know that this is small beans. But it’s one more example of the way women have to fight to get a place at the nerd table, even though we’ve been part of this movement all along. It’s one more tedious, annoying way we’re excluded.

And in a week that includes the ‘woman card’ (read this post at WaPo to learn more about the rewards associated with your Woman Card!),  all we want to do is spend some of our terrible capitalist lady dollars on some nerd business.

On a happier note: in response to this problem, Star Wars voice actress Ashley Eckstein created Her Universe, selling apparel for nerdy women. Now, in partnership with Hot Topic, they’ve brought out a line of Force Awakens dresses. AND THEY GO UP TO PLUS SIZES.

Some brands don’t ship outside North America, mind, but we’re Australians. We’ve been dealing with that problem for as long as online shopping has existed. That the line exists is all the impetus we need to overcome it.

Other nerdy things we would like to spend our capitalist lady dollars on

• Supergirl merch (that’s not pink)
• (She wears the same colours as Superman, guys, it’s not hard at all)
• Mass Effect merch with the real Shepard on it instead of that guy
• Padme, Leia, Ahsoka, Satine, Hera, Sabine, Rey and Maz action figures
• Wonder Woman merch from BvS
• The dresses in Jupiter Ascending
• Superhero washi tape
• Funding non-capitalist enterprises