Dear Readers,
Today I would like to discuss a favorite topic of my
Mommie’s: shoes! Like many women, she has a shoe obsession. I find this ironic
because she never actually wears shoes unless forced; she prefers to walk barefoot, regardless of the weather or the season (she will walk through the
snow to retrieve the morning newspaper while barefoot if she can’t find her
boots!).
This past week, Mommie got a shoe catalog in the mail. She
got all excited, said something about needing new shoes for work, and pounced
on it like it was a mouse or a ball of yarn. She cooed over a pair of red shoes
with white polka dots; looked longingly at a pair of purple wedges; and
salivated over a pair of two-tone pumps when I gently reminded her that she is
a Park Naturalist and spends her days climbing rocks and walking brush-strewn
trails. I hardly think an “after 5” stiletto is the appropriate footwear for
such a job and pointed to a practical pair of taupe colored Birkenstock
sandals. Mommie just made a face at me and complained that she needed an office
job, then went right back to her “shoe porn”.
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| She was Minnie Mouse in a past life... |
How is it that she found shoes more fascinating than me, her
dear little kitty? I decided to interview the women I know about their shoe
fascination, and why they love shoes so much. The answers were quite reveling!
“I love shoes because my feet are the only part of my body
that aren’t fat”
“I am short, so I wear wicked high heels to make me look
taller” [Ed. Note to English teachers: In and around Boston, “wicked”, though
grammatically incorrect, it our pseudo-adverb of choice].
“Due to my hip structure I will never wear a size 5 waist
but I can still say I wear a size 5, thanks to my tiny feet!”
“For the most part, shoes sizes run true to size. You can’t
say that about [women’s] clothes, especially jeans! It is just more fun to shop
for shoes.”
“With shoes, I can express my creativity. I work in a very
conservative office, so it’s all business suits, for both men and women. I
could not imagine wearing a Betsy Johnson dress to the office, but I can wear
her shoes!”
“Feet deserve a treat. They support the weight of our body,
we walk around on them all day; they go through enough punishment, so why
punish them further by making them wear ugly shoes?”
“I like bright colors, but I think if I bought a hot pink
suit my boss would ask me if the circus was in town; a pair of
hot pink pumps make a nice accent to a navy blue or black business suit, and
they make a statement. That statement is [singing] ‘you can’t take that away from me!’.”
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| Just try to take these away from me! |
“I am only 5’2” and when I wear flats people don’t seem to notice me or take me seriously; they think I am a kid. My high heeled shoes give me the height I need to get noticed.”
“I think I look sexy in nice shoes. I don’t care if I am the
only one who thinks that; if I feel sexy, I feel confident and if I feel
confident I look and act confident. Shoes are like therapy only better because
they cost less and you can wear them.”
I was quite amazed at the variety of answers women gave for
their love affair with shoes. I never realized how empowering the right pair of
shoes can be to a woman! Although Cinderella used her shoes to catch a prince,
it seems that women today are using their shoes for so much more! Bravo to you
all! Maybe I should reconsider those taupe colored Birkenstock sandals after
all.
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| Practical with a good sole, but altogether lacking soul... |
What does the right pair of shoes mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
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