Monday, November 15, 2010

Those Shoes Were Made for Walking

When I was 9 years old, I got my first pair of heels. No, not those plastic heels that you could get at the toy store . Real, 3 inch heels. I know what you're thinking: What person would buy a 9 year old girl heels? My mom's cousin. She lives in NYC and her dream was to have a daughter. When that didn't happen, she pampered me. Several times a year a large box would arrive at my house full of super fashionable clothes made for trendy teenagers. While a lot of the clothes were too intense for me, I will never forget the day I opened the box and I saw those shoes: cream-colored, pointy toed stilettos with detailed lacing on the front. They were gorgeous. They were tall. They were ridiculous for a 9 year old girl. When my mom saw them, she rolled her eyes and was shocked when I threw them on and starting stumbling around the house. Within an hour I mastered the art of walking in heels and my love affair with shoes was born.

While I'm a girl who loves a flip-flop, I tend to rock heels almost every day. I think my years of ballet got me used to walking on my toes and I'm sure my feet will hate me in 20 years. I fully understand that heels can be difficult to walk in. I've been known to give friends lessons on how to walk in them and I would never even suggest that a girl has to wear them. And on those occasions when girls tend to wear them (weddings, out dancing, etc.) and they're not used to it, I totally feel their pain and will gladly throw off my shoes and dance barefoot with them.

But I have one request: if you can't walk in 5 inch platform stilettos, please do not wear them to the mall on a crowded day, particularly in the food court where the floor is slippery and people are walking around with food on trays. Watching you stumble makes me worried. I won't be able to get around you and the 10 shopping bags you're holding. In the process of trying not to fall over, you'll step on me and it will hurt - a lot. No one likes a bruised foot. Instead, rock those shoes in the comfort of your own home. You'll get the hang of it soon enough. And trust me - your feet, and my feet, will thank you.

Love,

Betty

9 comments:

Kate @ GreatestEscapist.com said...

I can't walk in heels. So I DON'T walk in heels. I currently own ONE pair, & never intend to own more than that.

Andygirl said...

hell yes!

I think it's a rule that ballerinas are good in heels.

Ley said...

Am I the only ex-ballerina that has absolutely no grace? I've been wearing heels since I was 13, and when I modelled I wore some seriously effed up shoes, and I *still* have issues. Which is why I tend to avoid wearing them in public...

May I suggest another shoe hate? Those dumb shoes with the wheels in them, that have kids slamming into me on the street or in the mall because they're too busy texting to pay attention where the heck they are aiming themselves!!

Becca Christensen said...

I love wearing heels but my pet peeve is people who wear cheap-ill-fitting heels and hobble around like a hobbit.

B

Anonymous said...

I'm smart enough to know the me and heels just don't mix. I always cringe when I see women running in heels, because 9 times out of 10, it never ends well. - G

Anonymous said...

As a person who is generally hurried and impatient, I have learned to walk quite quickly in heels without danger of falling over. As a result, I have developed extreme annoyance with others who walk at a snail's pace because they just haaaaad to wear the 5-inch stilettos that day. It's truly a hazard to everyone!

Lena said...

On behalf of all of the women of the world who have sustained injuries due to stiletto punctures to the feet whilst dancing barefoot, I would personally like to thank you for taking off your heels when everyone else is dancing barefoot.

Also, I admire how much you rock heels-I wish I could but I would feel weird and self-conscious here in Utah where "dressing up" consists of a boots, skinny jeans and a Patagonia fleece.

ag. said...

Agreed! I'm not great at heels so I stick to times when I don't have to wear them too long and they are never too high that I'm wobbling. Some people can't do heels...and if you can't, don't!

Anonymous said...

I'm a "heels" girl too! I can't stand girls who take baby steps in heels because they don't know how to walk in them... it just looks ridiculous and painful. The key to wearing heels is confidence!

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