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