Survey Says! Shoes Are a Girl's Best Friend

A recent short-cut through Macy’s brought me face to face with my first crush—shoes. This love of mine extends to shoes of any kind. They can be for walking, cocktailing, working, running, posing, cruising. They can be black, brown, paisley, high, low, leather, or cloth. They can have bows, peep toes, polka dots, or buckles. Doesn’t matter.

I don’t consider myself girlie, but from a seminal moment in 1968, when I put on my first pair of strappy sandals, I was smitten, enfeebled by their hypnotic pull. To my naïve 14-year-old mind, they made me look so je ne sais quoi incredibly sexy. I took to them immediately, and I haven’t looked back.

Over the years, I’ve gained a mortgage, a car payment and two hungry college-aged sons, so I can’t afford a closetful of shoes, but I adore them all the same. The right pair will transport me to a beach in Saint Tropez or a board room on Wall Street.

University level research, industry studies, books, movies and television episodes have been dedicated to women’s shoes. I know. I found them while conducting some important Internet research shod in a pair of bright yellow and black flip-flops, which, by the way, are very cute.

The Sight of You
Back to Macy's. With no ability to purchase so much as a deep discount, my only option was to coo over every Roman sandal, bedazzled slipper and business chic pump. My boyfriend laughed but asked a provocative question:
"Why are you so attracted to shoes?"

I’d never really thought about it, and in a rare moment, I was at a loss for words.

At some point after the first cave dweller recognized that a piece of leather protects the feet, something happened to turn shoes from practical to fashionable, from simple foot covering to an empowerment tool.

What Attracts You?
I asked my Facebook friends the question and got these answers:
#1 Answer: They make my feet look good.
#2 Answer: They don’t hurt.
Men answered on either end of the spectrum -- practical or rapacious, such as Arch Support or When You’re in Them.

The most amusing award goes to a high school friend:
They make my butt look good.

Does This Mean Anything?
We expect a lot from our shoes, beginning with arch support and ending with derriere reduction. But what does it mean? Something as relatively inexpensive and simple as footwear can make us anything we want to be at least for a while.