Shoes, Glorious Shoes

Why do women love shoes? Because shoes are instant feel good makeovers. A sexy pair never fails to lift my spirits and my butt. They're an expensive habit, but certainly cheaper than therapy and less fattening than chocolate.

Actually, what bothers me more than the price tag is what they cost my feet. As an MSNBC article pointed out, when it comes to shoes, modern women are a throwback to Imperial China: just as women of yore endured foot binding for the sake of social status, we suffer through the pain of high heels for the sake of vanity.

I think every woman who cherishes her stilettos would attest to the painful callouses and blisters she has to endure to look good. The same article further enumerates the many other maladies shoe afficionados suffer from: bunions, hammertoes, neuroma, bursitis and capsulitis, among others. Eww. Definitely not sexy.

Still, I'm not ready to give up the way they make my legs look shapelier and longer than God intended them to be. At the same time, I can't subject my footsies to the constant torture, especially since the damage is cumulative.

I guess compromise is the key. As much as my strappy sandals give me attitude and make me want to strut a la Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, I'll have to save those moments for special occasions and treat my feet gently and kindly in between.

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