Ladies, please explain the "shoe thing" to me

hahaha funny you should say that because I run pretty damn good in heels sometimes better in heels than flats.. I think its because Im more careful and thinking about where Im running lol

 

I tend to go for comfortable shoes, and hiking/walking type shoes, and yes, I probably have a few too many of them. I love my Birks (have 3 pair, and interchange them a lot), my chacos (one pair), and a pair of Naot sandals that practically jumped off the shelf and said "BUY ME"...they are my current favorites, and with the huge sole, I'll probably wear them for years. I can't stand dress shoes, heels and such...they are fine for some women, but not my speed. With my foot problems, and my need for complete comfort, I just can't see me in a pair of stilettos... :leaving:

 

Dude I think that's....a really rude way to state your opinion. It's really awesome that you give stuff away to those who need it, but there is no need to be so ...judgemental...



I was getting really inspired by your stance on 'stuff' until I came to this...



"Like shoes with all your little heart's content - that is what most of the dominating male world wants from you - Affluence, thy name is WOMAN."



I don't think it's necessarily fair to equate a love of shoes with a shallow pandering to the rules of a patriarchal society. In fact many of the people I know who have a thing for shoes are very active in volunteer work, they only buy ethically made shoes, and yes, they wear them till they fall apart. They may have more shoes than you and love every pair but this does not mean they have "little hearts."



I also think that, in order to fight a "dominating male world" we have to start with letting everyone be happy with themselves -happy with their own little quirks and eccentricities. This means allowing them to love things like shoes, things that allow them to show a snippet of their personalities. As long as what they do doesn't directly hurt anyone (or they get consent) - then let people do what makes them happy. I can't really express what I'm trying to say other than that telling people what to wear keeps them down and is damaging, yes, but telling them what not to wear is equally dogmatic and restrictive. I think to be a feminist/strong woman you need to start with autonomy....



gah this probably doesn't even make sense but what I'm trying to say is that I really respect what you do. However, while it is fantastic, it is only one way to be ethical and big hearted and, as such, you can't label others as having 'little hearts' because you don't know what they have going on - and you can't use shoes as a way to determine this.

 

Eh. I don't label people with little hearts.

I was just being dramatic.

But if you like buying a lot of cheap or expensive shoes, go ahead and be happy. I'm sure China is too.

 

right on...wanna go to DSW and shoe shop together?

 

Ooooh oh oh can I come? I have no money but I can oogle them with you two

 

yes, makes perfect sense. Thank you. :rockon:
some people like to wear lacy underwear that matches their bra. it makes them feel special. it usually has nothing to do with anyone else, or what anyone else thinks of them, it's what they like. some people like shoes. some people don't. it's all cool. some people collect coins, or stamps, or something else that you can't even touch, much less wear and get use out of it. and that's cool, too.

I went from having 70 pairs of inexpensive shoes pre-children, to having three pairs of very expensive shoes after having kids. When I wore the inexpensive shoes, I had to have more of them because if I wore the same pair too often my feet would hurt. But I could have never gotten away with wearing Birks at my last job. It's okay if someone doesn't understand how someone else chooses to live their life, but it's not okay to belittle or ridicule them because they are different than you.

 

you know, i'm with aristartle to a small extent with regards to personal attachments to material goods. i'm just not a clothing or shoe collector. the art of the shoe simply doesn't appeal to me. and yes, i do believe it is an art, not just a fad. i'm neither overly moved to buy them, nor overly concerned with those who do. i equate another's obsession with shoes with my obsession with books. i don't even care WHAT the book is or even if it's very good reading, if it's a book, my interest is piqued. whether or not it becomes a favorite is something to address further down the line. but at any rate, someone having one area of decadence in their life is totally understandable to me. it's just their one thing. some people collect dolls. at least shoe collectors can use their collection, right?

 

i donate all my excess stuff, too, i don't really need a lot of stuff. but i do it for mainly selfish reasons: i don't want it around any more. and it seems to me that if a charitable organisation can give it to someone who needs it, why not let them have it. but i don't really do anything for charity or the world besides that. i hardly see how that would make me a better person than someone who collects anything but is still active in charitable and good work. lynsey here is a fashion shopaholic and loves to look stylish and shit like that. but her work with children more than made up for her decadence, don't you think? i do.

 

I really don't think, in these posts, Aris was being really judgemental. She was just stating her opinions. And I am one of those people who DO accumulate too much junk (although not shoes) and I wasn't offended. I know I NEED to get rid of junk, as it doesn't define me. This may be OT, but I think I need to have too much stuff around me and continue to buy shit (spent over $200.00 at Target yesterday and only about $50 of it was Christmas presents) because when I was a kid ALL I ever heard was "We can't afford it." And then I would be given something crappy to "substitute" for what was really needed. SO, I buy shit to let myself know that I do deseve it. Maybe that's behind the whole shoe thing. I don't know.

But, I am NOT dissing womyn who love shoes and have millions of them. I just haven't yet heard WHY they want them. I don't think it is like coin collecting. I had a grandpa who was a stamp collector, and he never bought a stamp he tired of after 6 months, or one which caused him physical pain, and yet continued to use it. Nor is stamp or coin collecting the same as shoes by the fact that coins and stamps don't go out of style, they are solitary pursuits, there are clubs and history ect. I can't buy that shoe mania is a "hobby" anymore than I beleive shopping is a "hobby" neither satisfy the requirements for "hobby."

Again, I am NOT dissing it, I just don't understand. What is the attraction to rapidly going out of style, continually needing to be updated and replaced, uncomfortable footwear?

I agree with you. I don't think Shoe Mania is a character flaw. Just something I don't understand. I'm a womyn, and I don't get it. (I don't get the Mania of watching sports, either, but that is a most male dominated Mania, so I am not even going to try to understand it. My dh just says, "Maggie, it's WAR baby.Men love that." And I would add War with Hunting added in, but I am not gonna understand that. (And YES I KNOW some men don't like sports and some womyn do, THAT isn't my point, though.)

 

the shoe thing is still a mystery to me. not my thing.

 

That's cool i'm broke too...we'll just try them on!

 

I wear three pairs of shoes, thanks to Midwest winters. Birkenstock sandals, Birkenstock clogs and these sweet Free People crocheted-like clogs that I adore because they're ridiculously colourful. If it was up to me, I would wear my Birkie sandals all year round. I own those, a pair of gym shoes, some nice shoes. I can't walk in heels though, and I find them incredibly uncomfortable.

My mother, however, is another story. She is obsessed with shoes. She has way too many and sometimes she spends $400 on a pair. Yes, they're nice, and some are incredibly awesome, but I don't get it.

 

Eh. I personally have issues with people that hoard stuff - It just scares me that some people have houses full of knick knacks and antiques they never use, or they have a house full of avon products they can't find any use for, etc.

I think everyone has a right to be happy with what they have and enjoy what they have - but it gets out of hand for someone like me - and I think it's silly to let it get to that point. JMO

I just started a new job with exams starting next week, so I'm a little bitchy.

 

shoes are not my thing, I have a few pairs of sneakers and flip flops, one set of dress shoes, personally I would rather just go barefoot all of the time.

 

It's funny, my boyfriend is more of a shoe whore than I am, by a long shot. Every time we're shopping together we prolly spend the most time looking at shoes than anything else, unless we're in a music shop. I more than likely own more shoes than he does, but that's becuase I'm impuslive when I shop and would inexpensive shoes that I know never wear. (I've been giving a lot of them away though, so others can use thme) But he's very particular about his shoes, mainly chucks and bowling-shoe style. I like the same style, so we always enjoy shoe shopping. I actaully just bought him a pair of new chucks for Xmas

I myself was never a HUGE fan of shoes, but the last few years I've really become a fan. I still love nothing more than my flipflops (which I still sometimes wear in the middle of these lovely Wisconsin winters), but I've really grown to love chucks. I own 4 pairs, all different colors, and a brown pair of converse sneakers. I like having the color choice mroe than anything, I have the right colors to go with anything I wear.
And plus, they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever had. So who knows... I'm not a fanatic, but I really do love my shoe collection, just not as much as my boyfriend... Hehe

 

I own nearly 200 books (at last count) and have read almost all of them. My shoes don't flaunt wealth or position, considering I'm constantly broke and am a lowly university student (I bought almost all of them before the broke status btw, a couple for work from work since then), and only a few of my shoes are of the "come-fuck me" variety (and are typically not worn outside of the house, if you get my drift).


But really, thanks for the assumption taht I don't own books or engage my brain. I really appreciate it.

 

Nah, I can't equate shoes with either kitchen gadgets or books. You USE the kitchen stuff you have. I have three wisks, all for different things, I have two dozen or more different baking pans, meat forks, potato masher, melon baller ect. ALL are used, none go out of style, NONE cause me physical pain. I don't buy them because of their physical appearance, but because I can PRODUCE something with them.....yummy food for my family and freinds. And books, uh uh, I see no resemblance. Books aren't there to impress anyone, NOR do they cause you physical pain (with the exception of the Beatles Anthology, when one attempts to hold it in one hand and read it while in the tub, OW! Book weighs like 8 lbs.) Book convey information, not fashion nor do they "beautify" the body.

I think shoes have more in common with the stuff I buy for my house and never use. I know of virtually no shoe lovin' womyn who has worn all her shoes, or wears them for a long time. I have, in the past, bought shit for my house that I didn't need, did me and my family no good, and eventually need to get rid of. (Although none caused me physical pain, the part of shoe collecting that completely aludes me, they did cost me money I could have used on better things, or even, gasp, saved) These were "I deserve it" purchases, which I am trying to rid my life of. I am seeing from a lot of these posts that shoe-a-holics have an other type of "I deseve it" thing going on.

By George, I think I've got it.



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