Shoes Don't Make Us Look Fat
Stephenie Samborowski
Issue date: 2/11/05 Section: Opinions
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If you've ever wondered why women love shoes, here's your answer - shoes dont make us look fat.
But it's really not so simple.
I am a shoe fanatic; I carry a Famous Footwear rewards card wherever I go, and I probably own thirty pairs of shoes. Most of them are impractical, of course, and yet I still search for more. Its one of my few indulgences. Naturally, I found myself amongst many women shopping shoe sales post-Christmas. I tried on several pairs, just like my fellow ladies, and I tried to find meaning in my obsession with shoes. I wasn't alone. I conversed with a 50-year-old woman (who was surprisingly pulling off pink knee-high stiletto boots) about which we thought were the ugliest shoes on the sales rack. I noticed a group of girls trying on old lady shoes for kicks. I tried on purple stilettos, lime green sneakers, leopard-print boots. Realistically speaking, I wouldnt buy most of the outrageous shoes I try on, but I have always thought of trying on shoes as some type of therapy. It makes me happy, and I have often been known to go out with my girlfriends, or even alone...just to try on shoes.
It dawned on me when I started analyzing the way I perceive people by the shoes they wear. One can tell a lot about a person by their choice of shoe. Superficially, you can gain a sense of a persons economic status and social status (think Manolos). But, as strange as it sounds, I believe you can discover quite a bit more about a person from their shoes. Their confidence. How much someone is willing to sacrifice for a style, and their concept of style to begin with. For men, comfort and protection are probably the top priorities in shoe shopping. For women, these are probably the bottom.
But why? A shoes sole purpose is to protect your feet, so why have women complicated footwear over time? Its easy to group shoe obsession into the belief that we live in some kind of patriarchal society that demands women shave their legs and wear eyeliner. Yet I can assure you that when I try on shoes, I'm not angry at men or bitter that I'm a women. Its quite the opposite. A great pair of shoes fill me with a sense of pride--Im thrilled to be a woman.
But it's really not so simple.
I am a shoe fanatic; I carry a Famous Footwear rewards card wherever I go, and I probably own thirty pairs of shoes. Most of them are impractical, of course, and yet I still search for more. Its one of my few indulgences. Naturally, I found myself amongst many women shopping shoe sales post-Christmas. I tried on several pairs, just like my fellow ladies, and I tried to find meaning in my obsession with shoes. I wasn't alone. I conversed with a 50-year-old woman (who was surprisingly pulling off pink knee-high stiletto boots) about which we thought were the ugliest shoes on the sales rack. I noticed a group of girls trying on old lady shoes for kicks. I tried on purple stilettos, lime green sneakers, leopard-print boots. Realistically speaking, I wouldnt buy most of the outrageous shoes I try on, but I have always thought of trying on shoes as some type of therapy. It makes me happy, and I have often been known to go out with my girlfriends, or even alone...just to try on shoes.
It dawned on me when I started analyzing the way I perceive people by the shoes they wear. One can tell a lot about a person by their choice of shoe. Superficially, you can gain a sense of a persons economic status and social status (think Manolos). But, as strange as it sounds, I believe you can discover quite a bit more about a person from their shoes. Their confidence. How much someone is willing to sacrifice for a style, and their concept of style to begin with. For men, comfort and protection are probably the top priorities in shoe shopping. For women, these are probably the bottom.
But why? A shoes sole purpose is to protect your feet, so why have women complicated footwear over time? Its easy to group shoe obsession into the belief that we live in some kind of patriarchal society that demands women shave their legs and wear eyeliner. Yet I can assure you that when I try on shoes, I'm not angry at men or bitter that I'm a women. Its quite the opposite. A great pair of shoes fill me with a sense of pride--Im thrilled to be a woman.
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