Compelling Insight...

Not being sure how long it takes for a blog to become searchable, I figured I would type "trashed abused shoes" into Google to see if this got listed.  No such luck, or at least not yet, but something else was brought to my attention that I found interesting, and perhaps you'll find interesting as well.  This discussion on purseforum won't take you too long to read and if you're anything like me, you'll be left wishing it was longer because it offers some valuable insight into the subject of trashed and abused shoes.

Every once in a while, I'll buy something from someone on eBay that's willing to engage in a conversation about the trashing and abuse of shoes.  Not only do I love old shoes, but I love discussing why shoes are allowed to get ruined to the point where they're basically useless as shoes.  I mean, I wear my sneakers and shoes until they're in pretty sad shape, but I'm a guy... I'm not supposed to like shopping for shoes... and finding shoes in a size that fits my big feet is often a challenge I don't feel like tackling too often.  Women, on the other hand, seem to love shopping for shoes... the more, the better... and with so many often at their disposal, why not spread the use instead of going back to one pair over and over until it's seen way better days?

According to this discussion, women are split on the role of their shoes.  It starts off with the original poster feeling bad for the pair of ruined Pradas that inspired her to write, stating, "I dunno, maybe she was really rich and could afford these as her 'comfy old go-to pair' or maybe she really really loves them and can't bear to be without them for even a day... but I thought it was an awful shame to have shoes that beautiful get into such a bad state... I already feel bad that there is a scrape on a pair of patent $75 shoes..."  She's supported by another who says, "i firmly believe in taking good care of all my possessions - it makes me so sad to see *any* pair of shoes being abused, regardless of the price. If it's something cute that you like, why wouldn't you take care of it? That's how I feel when I see shoes that are just completely trashed" and another taking a much more extreme point of view by pointing out, "The condition of your shoes is a reflection of you. Shoes in poor repair show that you don't care about your appearance."  There are obviously women who are very, very serious about the idea of taking care of their shoes.

Thankfully (especially for people like us), there are women who treat their shoes as the utilitarian objects they are, nicely confirming, "I can't say I abuse my shoes... but I certainly don't baby them. As the other girls have pointed out, they are meant to be worn!", and backed up by another that, "as much as I love shoes and as much money as I spend on shoes, they ultimately serve a purpose...or two, rather. To walk in and to make me feel good!"  We can all feel good some women take things even further than that, like one that boldly proclaims, "I am a shoe abuser. You should see my CLs. I wear them to clubs in Vegas and local bars--not very shoe friendly. I also like my boots worn and abused looking. So I will "break in" Gucci boots by sliding and dragging my feet through pebbles, dirt, and sand."  Wow.  She drags her boots through pebbles, dirt, and sand?  I need to meet this one.  She can horrify the friend of the woman who shudders as she tells the story of her friend:

"My best friend is the complete opposite of me and sometimes I am horrified at the acts of shoe abuse she executes in front of me. Example: She wore her brand new pair of Christian Louboutin Madame Butterfly Booties (IN FUCHSIA!...SUEDE!) to a wedding pre-party and after spending hours getting them knicked and scratched on the dance floor she proceeded to spill a cocktail on them and then try to "clean" the cocktail off the shoes by dabbing the suede with wet toilette paper. I wanted to cry. At the end of the night when it was all over I said, "Your beautiful shoes are trashed", to which she responded, "They got WORN and they are just shoes!" Aghhhhhhh. To each their own but I still cringe when I think of that night and those gorgeous booties getting all trashed."

Of course, that doesn't answer many questions.  Why does the one woman like her Gucci boots looking worn and abused?  Is it an image thing?  Is there something to the idea of dominating an inanimate object?  And how about the woman that voiced indifference to her shoes getting ruined at a wedding?  Is it a lack of care, as suggested by the poster that thinks someone who wears shoes in bad condition is somehow a lesser person, or some kind of belief that shoes are something that are designed and manufactured to take abuse until they can't possibly take any more?  Is this reading more into the subject?  Or is this all-too-brief exchange of opinions an indication there is more than meets they eye?