(This column sometimes offers non-political posts on the weekend)
At the risk of being called a sexist again, I must ask my female readers: What is it with the shoe thing?
Don't pretend that there is no shoe thing. The other day, I heard two women talking; neither was affluent or even middle class. One spoke of owning 40 pairs of shoes, boots or slippers. The other had twice that amount.
By way of comparison: I bought a pair of cheap black work boots about five months ago, and I've worn them every day since. They seem to work out fine whether I'm hiking (which I should do more often) or dining at a "nice" place (which I wish I could do more often). I also own a pair of barely-used made-in-the-UK Doc Martens, purchased at a thrift store, which I don't wear because they hurt my feet. And that's it.
So what's with women and shoes? (Yes, yes, I know: Not all women. The only characteristic that applies to 100 percent of the female sex is vagina ownership.)
If you honor me with a semi-serious answer to that question, I promise to answer any snarky question you might want to pose about males. Call it Cannon's "Ask the Prick" service. Why don't we ask directions while driving? Why don't we "ask somebody" while looking for an item in a store? (Oh, someone please get me going on that one!) What's with all the electronic gizmos? Or my favorite: "What is it with you men and breasts?"
Just don't ask about the football thing. That game bores the hell out of me.
36 comments:
Iam probably not the one to answer since I only have about 4 to 5 pairs of shoes - but here goes: It is much more important for a woman's clothing to color coordinate. Therefore, it is easy to need shoes in black, navy, tan some off-white color, and quite possibly red. Now some of the outfits need high heels, some low heels and some flats - so you will need two or three in each color. Also, dress up occasions often need special shoes specific to the outfit. And that does not even start to include athletic shoes for outside and for the gym, sandals and boots. And that, in a nutshell is how women end up with 40 pairs of footware.
As a woman, I've never understood the shoe thing either. I have 1 pair & I wear them til they fall off before I buy another pair.
Actually, I thought this post was going to be about Bush having shoes thrown at him in Iraq.
On the other hand, I love football.
Rompadinker
Given that I own one pair of Reeboks, which I wear every day, and one pair of very expensive Italian dress shoes, which I wear when the Reeboks won't do, I'm probably not the woman to ask, either.
I don't get it either. I have more shoes right now than I've ever had in my life.
1 pair of Mary Janes that I can wear with nice pants or dresses. To events.
1 pair of walking shoes (I walk 2-6 miles a day)
1 pair of ankle boots that I wear in snow or ice.
And that's it. But for years I wore a pair or Mary Janes that happened to work very well in snow/ice and for walking. If they still made them, that's probably be what I'd have today.
So I don't get the shoe thing. But, I do love make up. I don't wear it all the time, but I love to buy it and play around.
I honestly don't know. Although personally I own between 10 and 15 pairs of shoes (tennis, decks, loafers, boots, heels). Although I only rotate between 6-8 pairs for everyday wear. (And I do plan to add 2-3 more pairs after christmas. My wardrobe needs to be updated/replaced.) But anywho...
Given my 15 pair of shoes, I probably fall towards the lower end of the spectrum concerning women who own 30+ pairs. I never really considered myself that type of woman, though I guess I'm getting there. In my case, it was not a conscious effort. I bought the shoes because I liked the style, or I liked the style and it was on sale, or it suited a purpose, like my two pairs of boots or my pair of basketball shoes. A couple pairs of shoes I own are heels, which I only wear when needed- weddings, interviews, etc. It's really something that developed over time- years. I had more but I gave them away.
My hypothesis it that many women only own that many pairs of shoes because they will not part with those they no longer need. I highly doubt they actually rotate through 30+ pairs in a month. In my case I use about 50-60% of my shoes in a month. The rest are special occasion or season dependent. And others are just old shoes that I use to do chores or run around in. What I'm trying to say is that everything has a purpose.
But enough about me, I have a question for you. Why is it that when men are in a store, they do not ask for help when looking for an item?
Rompadinker beat me to it. I thought you were meaning Bush having the shoes thrown at him.
The reporter must have really been pissed cuz this was a twofer and damnit he ducked both times!
I DON'T OWN 40 pairs of shoes! I only count the boots!
And didn't you once say that women buy shoes so that other women do not get them?
Ms. Vandal.
Thank you for asking, DG. Hmm...should I answer here, or in a separate post?
Let's make it a separate post, issued later tonight.
DG:
Because once they find they item they have no excuse for not buying it and going home.
Women's dress shoes are uncomfortable -- thin soles, pointy toes, and high heels. To get pumps to stay on, they buy them a size too small. My guess is that in the store they hope that this pair won't hurt.
I go for comfort, so since I found MBT (unbelievable amount of cushioning along the sole), that's all I wear -- two pairs of the clog model and one of the boots, for snow. I keep older shoes as backups, against the day I get so poor I can't afford MBT anymore.
OK, I'll bite. When my sister and I helped our parents move out of the house they lived in for 30 years, in one weekend I found 70 pairs of shoes in her closet and 17 shoes with no mates. The next weekend my sister continued cleaning mom's closet and found 60 more pairs of shoes and about 10 more with no mate. We knew that my mother loved colorful shoes and NEVER threw anything away but we had no idea what lurked in that closet.
My sister loves colorful shoes too and has about three baskets of shoes in her closet. I'm more into nice purses (which I pared down to 3 nice handbags) and own only 12 pair of shoes, including two pair of low heels that I rarely wear.
I should also mention that when we moved our parents, mom was in the early stages of Alzheimers which we didn't know at the time. She stood over us as we sorted through that closet and objected to throwing out anything and was only convinced by repeated explanations of how small the closets were at the new apartment.
Not all women who have lots of shoes have Alzheimers but sometimes there may be an element of hording behavior, a phenomenon only recently probed and described by therapists. My sister and I inherited the love of shoes but we also know how to part with things we no longer need and keep things in reasonable perspective (she works in a job where she has to dress up everyday, I have studiously avoided jobs like that since 1984).
I.Don't.Know.
I hate that shoes are associated with women. I am a woman, and I don't care about shoes. Let them fit, not smell, and not have holes in them and I am fine.
To me, I hate it when someone thinks because I am a woman I like shoes and chocolate. Well I don't.
I don't understand spending the money for 100 pair of shoes or something but I think every man should have about 10 pairs of high quality shoes depending on the use.
I think every man pretty much needs 2 pairs of dress shoes. One black and one brown. A pair of work boots. A pair of walking shoes. A pair of cowboy boots, at least where I live. A pair of cross trainer sports shoes.
If you play outdoor sports then you need a pair of cleated shoes as well. I play B-ball so I have a pair of high tops. One pair of casual shoes like loafers and probably a couple more pairs of tennis shoes.
Another woman with no shoe addiction. I have sandals, flip flops, boots, Mary Jane's, slippers, heels... Oops, maybe there is a problem here. I admit, I have more shoes than my husband, but he can walk on his hands.
FabKG: I'm very cool with the shoe disinterest -- but CHOCOLATE? You don't like chocolate? How can any human being not like chocolate?
I don't know. But why do men have baseball hats? You'd think that one dark for winter and one light would do for summer. Why do they have fifteen or twenty baseball hats???!!! I have never seen need in my life to wear a baseball hat.
FabKG: I'm very cool with the shoe disinterest -- but CHOCOLATE? You don't like chocolate? How can any human being not like chocolate?
Do you really want to know? Really? Where to start.
Being dirt poor growing up and receiving zero dental care until I was 17, eating chocolate was excoriating.
Giving women chocolate is associated with her giving back pussy (Valentine’s Day)
Then there is the bullshit trope that chocolate will cure everything and the whole I need chocolate because I am PMSing. Whatever.
Cold sores! My poor mother. My poor 72 year old mother.
“Cold sore virus infects up to 90% of those older than 50. Only 20-40% of those infected develop the sores.” Cold sores are often assumed as being the curse from having promiscuous sex. Not always the case, actually, most often they are transmitted innocently, most of the time when the victim is a child, sipping out of someone with a cold sore glass, or picking up a pencil or pen and putting it near their mouth. “Most people get infected during infancy or childhood from an infected family member or friend. This is when the worst symptoms are experienced.”
[...]
“A diet that is high in lysine and low in arginine has been found to be helpful. In vitro studies indicate that the amino acid arginine is required by the herpes virus to replicate. Since lysine competes with arginine for intestinal transport, a diet rich in lysine (brewers yeast, legumes, dairy, wheat germ, fish and meat) and low in arginine may have an antiviral effect. Chocolate, peanuts and almonds are high in arginine and should be avoided.” Well, duh, who wants to eat chocolate without peanuts or almonds? But nuts or no nuts, the chocolate can and often is the enemy all by itself.
Do you think I’m bitter about chocolate? LOL!
I think the shoe thing is class, not gender-based. The more nice shoes you have, the faster you're "going places."
lol, double-jointed fingers! Yes, when you add in boots and sandals, you need a lot of shoes. And bags. You need a lot of hand bags, totes, clutches, purses and other carrying cases.
Why? Color, material, utility and fun/frivolity. Hello. You need different things to take/wear to the beach, to work and to parties.
I've never counted up my footwear, but at one time I did collect vintage dresses and had nearly 200.
elliewyatt, you asked a MUCH better question. If there is one thing too boring to believe...it's MUCH more boring than football and all the other spectator sports combined....it's the typical American male "casual attire." I don't know which is the worst element: the sole pair of scuffed sneakers, the blue jeans, the message tee shirt, or the ball cap.
What do they want? To look like they're age 8 forever? Ugh.
Oh! But the very worst is the sweatshirt "hoodie."
The message tees and ball caps are tied for second-worst, tho. What the typical American guy needs is more shoes, and better clothes to warrant them....and NO hoodies or ball caps.
Eavesdrop on a well-dressed man and you will hear a foreign accent. For sure he won't be from the U.S.
Okay, I'll bite. Why do some women have so many shoes? Easy. Different outfits, certain cuts of skirts, pants require different heights, styles, shapes (I mean you can't wear clogs with a pants suit for crissakes). There are shoes for going to the symphony, shoes for walking your dog, shoes for church, shoes for sports (lots of different types), shoes for shorts (dressy and casual), shoes for the beach, shoes for snow, shoes for easy airport travel, shoes for jeans, shoes for skirt suits, pants suits and shoes for track suits.
I am not even close to being a girly girl, and I have 30+ pairs of shoes. I go for high quality, well made shoes. I have a pair of Coach boots that I bought in law school over a dozen years ago- on sale no less at an outlet. I had lusted for them in the catalog because they were the boots I had envisioned as a preteen and never found. When I did find them, I did not have the funds because law books and tuition are kinda high, but when I found them in an outlet on a drunken weekend in Austin, I had to buy them for 75% off. It was just meant to be. And I still wear them- scuffed and resoled and reheeled and pretty much loved to death.
I have patent leather golf shoes. Boston terrier slippers all soft and fuzzy. I have retired color Chuck Taylor All-Stars that match my iPod, and multiple pairs of tennis shoes which I mostly wear everywhere (and at least one pair devoted to mowing the yard). I have leather loafers in different colors and styles (tassle or penny depending on the outfit).
I look at shoes as useful and necessary items but I also know that no outfit whatever it may be is complete without the appropriate footwear. If I wore dresses or went to fancier places, I can tell you I'd have over a 100 pair of shoes. Sexy, over the top and fun; they would be my acquiescence to a more exciting life than I have.
I have friends with 100's of shoes. I have a friend that works in marketing for Prada of whom I am deeply jealous for about five minutes a year until I remember I do not live in Manhattan or go to ritzy parties. I appreciate how gorgeous her shoes are (all types not just Prada) but they are much more befitting of who she is which is the original Carrie Bradshaw.
My hubby has lots of shoes for a guy- vintage 40's two-toned numbers, wingtips, cowboy boots of various leathers and one well-worn pair of K-Swiss from his long forgotten high school years.
He thinks I have a lot of shoes, I don't. I have a reason for every pair I have- none were whims. If they were, I'd have so many, many more. I'd have them with flames licking up the sides, cowboy boots in Rainbow Bright colors, slick low-heeled dainty things for the perfect sun dress I'd never buy or wear even if I did have it....
Anyhow, hope that helps.
Oh, and as for baseball hats. I have started over 5x from scratch each time and my current collection is over 30. From the profane, to my favorite football team (Go Gators!), to my favorite beer, to crazy fishing hats to argyle visors with matching socks, and 50 cent garage store cowboy "drinkin'" hats....I LOVE hats and still miss my very first favorite hat which finally rotted to pieces after ten years of daily wear. I miss that hat more than some friends and dead relatives.
Hats are fucking amazing IMHO. So much more so than shoes.
The first comment nailed it. As to the why, there is nothing more that needs to be said. Men who dress up for work can get by with a pair of brown shoes and a pair of black shoes. Women who have to dress for work cannot. They must have shoes of color that match their suits and dresses. Basic black pumps don't always work with evening wear, either, so you need evening shoes for evening dresses. If you're wearing jeans, you can stick to basic black and brown pretty well, but once you get into casual clothes of other colors, you need shoes to go with them. You cannot wear black or brown shoes with pastel cropped pants or sundresses - you just can't. My favorite sun dress is a Sarah Arizona cotton voile, white with lavender and peach flowers. Pretty much I need gold, white or lavender sandals to go with the dress - and it looks fab with a new pedicure.
On most days, most men need to be mindful of black pants, brown pants, khaki pants or jeans when they put their shoes on. Black can go with any of the above. Brown, depending upon the type of black pants, can usually go with all of them as well. The bottom half of women's outfits isnt limited to those four colors and that's why they need more shoes.
Oh man Joe, look what you started! LOL! Yeah, I thought this would be a reference to the shoe throwing incident in Baghdad as well!
Okay, so yes, I am one of those shoe whores! I am sure Joseph will be the first to out me. Actually, for me, it is all about the boots. Screw shoes. And recently, when my favorite granny boots died, Joseph was there, first hand, to see what it took to replace them.
While I own all sorts of foot-wear, I do keep a core group of about 6 to 10 on hand, with the granny boots really heading up the whole team. Why so many shoes and boots? Because they're pretty. They're functional! And as a woman who does not wear a regular size in clothing, I can walk into a store and get an 8 1/2 shoe in a place I cannot even get a blouse... That is one of MY reasons.
Ms. Vandal.
Well, for everyday work I have two pairs of shoes, one for late spring-late fall, and a more heavy duty semi-water proof pair for winter-early spring.
But I do historical costuming and also cosplay (anime character costuming done at anime conventions- yes, I'm a 42 year old female anime geek, I've been an anime/manga fan since I saw "Speed Racer" as a child) most of my shoe "collection" goes with my various costumes.
I do have a "thing" about boots though- but just flat to low heeled boots. I still want to find three types of boots, but with very muscular calves- 18" around of solid muscle I doubt I could ever find two of them that would fit my calves, narrow ankles, narrow heels, and short wide front part of my foot. 1)an low heel lace up Victorian-WWI period boot (for my historical costume- I have one that look semi-accurate- it works okay for 1860's and WWI periods, but not other periods, if I could find the right type one it would work throughout that period. The other type boots are the two I doubt I could find- and I'm sure my liking for them comes from being a child in the late 1960's-70's and having worn them as a child.- the zip up on the side laced up leather "granny" knee boots with low heels (mine were red), and the "hippie" style flat heeled suede lace up knee boots with fringe tops.
The first commenter does have it right though, women are expected to match their shoes to their clothes and the occasion. I do have a couple of dressy shoes to go with dresses when the situation makes expectations for that. I'm lucky enough to work at a job where I can dress in cotton knit pants and cotton knit shirts, so my acceptable shoe range is broader than an office worker (I'm a librarian. I wear, as I said, practical shoes, and just two pairs.)
Ciardha
"I LOVE hats"
Sorry, Badger, but ball caps aren't hats, they're beanies without the twirly on top.
I have a lot of hats, too. Hats. With brims, not bills. It sounds as if you have a few hats amongst your ballcaps, but can you imagine a HAT with a slogan or ADVERTISEMENT on it? Of course not.
Same with message tees. They aren't shirts. They're a sad testament to the ease of American brainwashing.
I asked my lady--who really does have an awful lot of shoes.
She smacked me upside the head and said she happened to enjoy shoes.
It's probably genetic, don't you think? Like the male gene that forces us to skip stones or pick up a ball.
Oh I am definitely one of the shoe-lovers, although my real love is boots, which are the single and only reason to accept the advent of winter. I have boots in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I also have several pairs of intensely sexy pointy-toe heels that I rarely wear, moderate heels that I use at the office, blingy flats that I wear on the airplane, cute sparkly tennies, work-in-the-yard tennies, serious cross-trainers, booties, hiking boots, and many, many pairs of sandals and flip-flops.
This is largely because I don't like having a lot of clothes. I've narrowed down to a few items what looks reliably great on me, and I stick to those. But I constantly change them up with different accessories, and shoes are key.
Footwear can make or break an outfit. You CANNOT wear the same shoes with every outfit you wear, unless you wear the same thing or type of thing every day. Also, it depends on the occasion and the look. The same dress that looks chic and funky with boots and tights and a big wrap will look sleek and sexy with heels and delicate jewelry. See? Same dress, different look. Jeans look completely different, and can be work to totally different events, depending on the shoes or boots you wear with them.
Incidentally, this shoe love doesn't mean I've bankrupted myself for footwear. I have shoes and boots I've kept forever because I take care of them. I get them repaired religiously and I ALWAYS wear grungy shoes to commute to where I'm going and change when I get there--doing this has kept my good shoes pristine for years. Women who teeter around on the subway or the filthy city streets on their expensive stilettos are a mystery to me, one borne largely (I suppose) of envy.
There's another thing: Women look at each other's shoes. Constantly. And there's an unspoken competition there. I am aware of it and I know I participate in it and doubtless that makes me a tool of the patriarchy but whatever, the hit of "My shoes are cooler than yours" is as compelling as an opiate.
Ciarrdha!!!
"Hippie" boots~
Go here http://www.moccasins.com/womens-moccasins/knee-high-moccasin-boots/5698+5701+4294076096.cfm
Or just search 'moccasins'. Minnetonka is a brand that makes the boots.
I oughtta know these boots, as I grew up in Berkeley in the '60s! And live in Arizona now & find the boots wherever they sell moccasins.
Joseph~ Did you know there are blogs by women devoted to nothing but posting pictures of their new & favorite shoes?!
How many baseball hats do you have, Joseph?
Zee, caps are a type of hat. I have more than caps. Lots more.
As for message tees, I do admit to having a very odd collection. Some of my more favorites are "Rape I No Laughing Matter- Unless You're Raping a Clown," "Betty Bowers Crackwhore Ministry," There Are Two People Fucking on the Back of This Shirt...Just Kidding Believe in Me- Jesus."
I'd guesstimate I have 75+ t-shirts. Some kid friendly, many not. Betty bowers.com and tshirthell.com are the best places for tees.
And, no, it's not brainwashing. It's called having a very healthy and robust sense of humor.
Women's shoes are the new jewelry. Have you looked at some of them lately? They're laden with rhinestone, feathers, bright pink flowers; boots sport buckles, tassels, mix fabrics and leather. I have a decent amount of shoes some of which I keep out of guilt because someday I'll wear them, truly I will, and some because they were a great deal. But there are many more shoes I ogle and never buy, they're so pretty!
I can explain. I have no idea how many pair of shoes I have, but I have approximately lots of pairs in colors and styles. Shoes dress up or down what I'm wearing. A pair of shoes will look nicer with skirts than with pants. One pair of shoe is beautiful with a party dress, but not right for casual dress. And then I must have several pairs for walking. Sure the regular Nike I have for running works, but a great pair of Cole Haan looks tons better if I'm going for a walk in one of those great neighborhoods that my city offers. See? It's simple. A man has many ties which are priced around $100+ (good silk ones) and would think nothing of owning many, with different patterns, even if a few are red. Why? because it changes his dress.
One of the most honest reasons is because feet typically do not get fat. When I want to engage in shopping therapy, sometimes trying on clothes can be depressing if one is in denial over some recent weight gain. Shoes, on the other hand, are kind because they do not remind you that you have gone up a size.
If the shoes don't work with the outfit, the whole damned thing is wrong. "Works" is an elusive concept, but like obscenity, I know it when I see it.
My shoe collection is restricted to three pairs of sneakers, two pairs of Doc Martens, two pairs of Naot maryjanes and a few pairs of heels for special occasions, but all were chosen with great care.
Being dirt poor growing up and receiving zero dental care until I was 17, eating chocolate was excoriating. The Fabulous Kitty Glendower
I'm not sure what you mean by this, as the pH of chocolate is such that it cannot cause - and in fact prevents - tooth decay. Further, the dairy in milk chocolate causes the saliva to contain calcium and phosphorous ions which repair the tooth surface by filling in the microscopic holes caused by decay-producing foods.
Sergei Rostov
True enough, about men and little need for shoes: I have 5 pair - walking, winter boots, riding boots (motorcycle), dress shoes, sandals.
All black, by the way. :)
Sergei Rostov
Post a Comment