I took a trip to the podiatrist last year complaining of left foot pain and later discovered I have arthritis in my big toe.
He recommended I get some Hokas. When he brought them up on the screen to show me I was like 😳 oh, ok.
I’ve always loved cool sneakers and when I gave up wearing leather, I stopped wearing my Jordan 4’s too.
But this? Moon boots of a fashion? I was crestfallen.
Still, I went ahead and bought some and as soon as I tried them on I felt like I was walking on air.
My posture improved and try immediately took the pressure off my hips which is a bonus as I have Stage 4 Endometriosis.
Fast forward to this weekend and my partner who’s an ED RN and nurse educator was walking down the street towards me looking like John Wayne. She said her feet were killing her. I suggested she tried my Hokas. On Saturday night she’s walking round the kitchen in her pj’s wearing them on the verge of tears at just how relieved her feet were. She’s currently walking around ED in them while we wait for hers to arrive.
They may not be the sexiest shoe in the world but I choose to look after my health and mobility over aesthetic.
Thank you for sharing Cheryl Frazier's dissertation -- section 2 clarified why I have always bristled when my mom told me that clothing was flattering. My teenage self didn't have the words to explain but I knew that the message was that some clothes would make my body more acceptable by making it appear smaller and more "shapely" lol. I loved reading Cheryl's work!
I remember hearing Robin Williams joke in Good Morning Vietnam about women in comfortable shoes. In my young teen innocence I had to get my older sister to explain what he meant but to my always practical mind it struck me as a good thing to aim for. These days I'm mostly found in Skechers (winter) or Crocs (summer). Must check out those Hokas someone else mentioned. Sounds like my kind of shoe.
Yes!!!! Thank you for this. I LOVE your new blog—and your new keds! It's always been important to me to be able to run in whatever shoes I'm wearing. (If necessary, I could have run in the ever-so-slightly-raised heels I occasionally wore for up to an hour when I dressed in drag—in an evening gown, with red lipstick and rhinestone earrings! :) —to sing jazz in clubs.) It pains me to see women, e.g. on the red carpet or at the Met Gala, in heels so high they need men to support them and to enable them to *walk.*
I have long been a fan and wearer of comfortable but attractive shoes also. I cannot balance on high heels, perhaps due to lack of practice.
However your choice of footwear need not relate to your size.
In my case it is for comfort, freedom and because many of the streets of my native city of Dublin, Ireland are paved with cobble stones.
Whilst returning home one night - as a young 18 year old student of University College Dublin - I noticed that I was the only one getting off at the stop for my mother’s house. At the last moment a man jumped up from one of the side seats and disembarked also.
He started following me home on that eerily dark and empty road. When I quickened my pace, he did the same.
I felt white fear and decided to make a run for it.
I was very thankful for two things on that night. My flat shoes and my 13 years of ballet training that left me super fit and the faster runner that night. I made it home safely.
I got my own car soon after that.
But I never forgot the merit of having shoes you can run like the wind in…
The many, many years I would only wear flip flops or other ‘flattering’ shoes! Now I (most days) don’t give a fluck, and it’s a delight :) thanks for putting in words
Liberating indeed.
I took a trip to the podiatrist last year complaining of left foot pain and later discovered I have arthritis in my big toe.
He recommended I get some Hokas. When he brought them up on the screen to show me I was like 😳 oh, ok.
I’ve always loved cool sneakers and when I gave up wearing leather, I stopped wearing my Jordan 4’s too.
But this? Moon boots of a fashion? I was crestfallen.
Still, I went ahead and bought some and as soon as I tried them on I felt like I was walking on air.
My posture improved and try immediately took the pressure off my hips which is a bonus as I have Stage 4 Endometriosis.
Fast forward to this weekend and my partner who’s an ED RN and nurse educator was walking down the street towards me looking like John Wayne. She said her feet were killing her. I suggested she tried my Hokas. On Saturday night she’s walking round the kitchen in her pj’s wearing them on the verge of tears at just how relieved her feet were. She’s currently walking around ED in them while we wait for hers to arrive.
They may not be the sexiest shoe in the world but I choose to look after my health and mobility over aesthetic.
Here’s to comfy shoes!
Thank you for sharing Cheryl Frazier's dissertation -- section 2 clarified why I have always bristled when my mom told me that clothing was flattering. My teenage self didn't have the words to explain but I knew that the message was that some clothes would make my body more acceptable by making it appear smaller and more "shapely" lol. I loved reading Cheryl's work!
I remember hearing Robin Williams joke in Good Morning Vietnam about women in comfortable shoes. In my young teen innocence I had to get my older sister to explain what he meant but to my always practical mind it struck me as a good thing to aim for. These days I'm mostly found in Skechers (winter) or Crocs (summer). Must check out those Hokas someone else mentioned. Sounds like my kind of shoe.
Is it bad if I like your shoes?
Yes!!!! Thank you for this. I LOVE your new blog—and your new keds! It's always been important to me to be able to run in whatever shoes I'm wearing. (If necessary, I could have run in the ever-so-slightly-raised heels I occasionally wore for up to an hour when I dressed in drag—in an evening gown, with red lipstick and rhinestone earrings! :) —to sing jazz in clubs.) It pains me to see women, e.g. on the red carpet or at the Met Gala, in heels so high they need men to support them and to enable them to *walk.*
Kate Manne,
I enjoyed your piece on the topic of shoes.
I have long been a fan and wearer of comfortable but attractive shoes also. I cannot balance on high heels, perhaps due to lack of practice.
However your choice of footwear need not relate to your size.
In my case it is for comfort, freedom and because many of the streets of my native city of Dublin, Ireland are paved with cobble stones.
Whilst returning home one night - as a young 18 year old student of University College Dublin - I noticed that I was the only one getting off at the stop for my mother’s house. At the last moment a man jumped up from one of the side seats and disembarked also.
He started following me home on that eerily dark and empty road. When I quickened my pace, he did the same.
I felt white fear and decided to make a run for it.
I was very thankful for two things on that night. My flat shoes and my 13 years of ballet training that left me super fit and the faster runner that night. I made it home safely.
I got my own car soon after that.
But I never forgot the merit of having shoes you can run like the wind in…
Best wishes
Ita O’Kelly
The many, many years I would only wear flip flops or other ‘flattering’ shoes! Now I (most days) don’t give a fluck, and it’s a delight :) thanks for putting in words