What is it about shoes?

I have often said that my vice is shoes. To know me is to understand that I have a very real love affair with shoes – all shoes really…heels, boots, flats. Beverly Feldman and Poetic License (shoe brand names) are my drugs of choice.

My ‘shoe-thing’ isn’t new. I’ve always been this way. My husband knew this about me when he married me. As a matter of fact, for my first Mother’s Day, he wanted to get me something meaningful; something I would have forever. Guess what he got for me. Yes, a pair of crazy sassy stilettos! And I love them.

So, what is it about shoes? Why do we love them so much?

I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends this very questions, and here is what they said:

Change your shoes, change your life – Barbara

That's a good workshop title, "How to know when you've got too many and how to say no to shoes!" – Jennifer

For me the attraction to shoes is even though my weight has fluctuated over the years, I could always buy shoes in about the same size. So they have become my good (nonjudgmental) friends. - Jaye

I don’t know, but I need an intervention – Christine

They're just plain fun!!! – Allie

Mama always said you could tell an awful lot about a person by the kind of shoes they wear. – Forest Gump’s Mama

Is because no matter what size our bodies morph into over the years, generally our feet stay the same? Maybe Jaye is on to something here. I know I have a pang of guilt when I buy a pair of jeans that are a bit out of my budget-range…knowing that my size will change and I won’t be able to wear them forever. Shoes, on the other hand, don’t cause that kind of guilt…I have shoes I’ve spent way too much money on that I’ve had for years…YEARS! If you calculate the price-pre-wear, I figure by now, they’ve paid for themselves and were free! (you gotta love my logic!)

Or maybe it is because the versatility shoes give us. We can instantly change an outfit by changing a shoe. Take a pair of jeans for example. Add a heel and instant sass; change that shoe to an oxford, and you get a completely different look. You can also change your mood depending on what shoe you have on. I like to think of shoes as a less-expensive version of therapy.

Perhaps we are afraid of fashion, a little shy and not willing to try those new trends. Shoes are safe. Maybe we believe we can’t wear the newest greatest…but we can on our feet! So go for it girlfriends! Get that leopard stiletto! Be daring, walk proud in those bright red pumps! Why not walk on the wild side and try a peep-toe shoebootie? You can do it!

Sex appeal. Let’s be honest, we love putting on a sexy shoe. Even if we can’t walk in it, we still will wear it out and sit…never walking around for fear that our feet may fall off. And, ask any man and he will tell you that he likes a woman in a high heel. ‘Nuff said.

I maintain that for every inch you can get on a heel, you will look 5lbs thinner! There is a reason I always wear 3” heels! Maybe this is the real reason we love shoes, they make us look thinner?

It has been said that your personality and first impression lies in your shoes. So I ask you, what are your shoes saying about you? Currently, my 4” silver bow Poetic License shoebooties (worn with PJ bottoms, because I can!) are saying that I need to do a load of laundry. For the record, I never need to launder, dry properly or iron shoes!

So, I don’t know what it is with shoes and women. It seems to be a lot of things…bottom line is that shoes make me (us) happy. I think it is important to embrace who we are, and what makes us happy. As for me, I will continue to buy shoes and will do so as a proud contributor to our local economy! Are you with me?

(appeared in the November issue of Michiana Family Magazine)