Back in the day (1940s-1950s), there was a common saying that “shoes make the man.” To expand on that, and at the same time be the good feminist that I am, I would add they “make the woman” as well. Clearly, the adage underscored the fact that shoes were about fashion, and the right pair could make or break one’s outfit but, even more interestingly, that shoes conveyed character. In the past, and in a studiously class-ridden English society, a man was normally judged by his shoes. An excerpt from the “Intellectual Takeout” website from June 2024 notes that “Conservative lace-ups neatly shined indicated that you were from a good home, were sent to a good school. The shining of shoes was the shining of one’s character. Polishing your shoes was a way to polish your manners. Ship-shape shoes meant a ship-shape life – neat and clean with everything done and dusted, decently and in order.” Although we Americans are normally not the sartorial snobs that our brethren across the pond were, the importance of shoes is not lost to us either as a necessary nicety or an expression of personality.
Although shoes are about fashion, perhaps even more importantly, they are about function. As any podiatrist will tell you (and mine has), your feet are your body’s foundation. Wearing good shoes can help you feel your best and prevent injuries. They serve as a protection from disease, injury and the natural elements. In many areas of the world, where sanitation is poor and disease is widespread, going without shoes makes one especially susceptible to parasitic worms and other foot infections. Those diseases can not only be debilitating but in fact lethal. Wearing the right shoes enables you to move well and offer comfort with proper support and cushioning. Furthermore, appropriate footwear can also obviate conditions such as calluses, bunions and plantar fasciitis.
As an admitted shoe “junkie” (hello, Imelda Marcos!), I can attest to a philosophy that says “the more shoes the better.” I’m all for having fun with them – wearing sandals with rhinestone baubles, fur-lined knee-high leather boots with a nod to the Harley Davidson motorcycle crowd, spongy plastic gummy shoes in bright turquoise or rubber flip-flops in the dead of winter. When I’m feeling playful, I can also tweak the prophet’s words from “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” to “those who wear good shoes” – a pair of Nikes, brogues or Oxfords. (Seems that there can even be sermons in shoes.) But, I particularly delight in how shoes, which are not only a choice of life and a summary of purpose, perform beautifully in so many lines of work. A runner has his or her shoes that clasp the earth with their cleats, a factory worker’s steel-toed shoes (protect your feet from hard impacts), patent leathers are great for a summer ball and the new Skechers tennis shoes allow you to simply step right in without any assistance from one’s hands. There are running shoes to run and dancing shoes to dance. I even learned recently about “elevator shoes” which can make you look taller with their height-increasing lifts and insoles. At 5”2’, I’m giving some thought to those since my neighbor yelled out to me “hello, short-shop!”
Footwear clearly serves as a powerful symbol of identity and status in many cultures, reflecting the unique values and traditions of different societies. Distinctive shoes can tell stories, communicate messages and even provide insight into the wearer’s social standing or regional origins. In ancient Egypt, for example, shoes were so esteemed that they were considered a status symbol. The higher the heel, the more prestigious the wearer. Shoes are quite simply a way of expressing your personality. An English musical, “Kinky Boots” focused on exactly that. The musical tells the story of Charlie Prince who inherits a shoe factory from his father. Although the shoes were good quality men’s shoes, they were not particularly stylish. Inspired by a male friend who is a drag queen, Charlie successfully reinvents his business by producing a line of high-heeled fetish footwear for men. The lyrics in one of the songs say, “You might think beauty comes in spring and sparrow/When the sun rises, it’s the morning dew/But if you walk the straight and narrow/You’ll find the elegance and comfort is…the most beautiful thing in the world… a shoe!” As someone who paid $479.95 for a pair of Tony Lama Searcy 11” full quill ostrich boots, I simply say “here, here!”
Marilyn Monroe once said “give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” The importance of shoes – nothing less than a perfect marriage of function and fashion. I will always love my riding boots.
