So I was walking around the mall the other day and overheard one woman tell another that she needed to buy some shoes. This made me wonder: how many times does a woman wear a particular pair of shoes? What is its lifespan before getting retired to the back of the closet and needing another pair of "cute" shoes to replace them?
The answer to this question is inponderable. Women and shoes. I don't know. Maybe the male equivalent is men and beer.
I still have her beat by probably 60 pair(add at least 15 if you count flip-flops), and don't consider myself a shoe hound. Then again, it's time to thin some out, that I don't wear anymore, and don't see myself wearing again.
The lifespan of a pair of shoes can range from one evening to two years or more. A good pair of boots might be worn for two or three years, if they go with lots of things. A pair of dress shoes a woman was required to purchase to go with a bridesmaid dress might be worn only once. A good pair of flip flops or sandals will last all summer and be worn many times. Running shoes are about the same as they are for men- they can be worn until new ones are actually needed. Sometimes a woman might buy a dress that is a strange color and will only match a certain pair of shoes. Therefore the shoes will only be worn when the dress is worn, which is twice if you're lucky. This is different from men in that women can't just have a brown and a black and be set for all dressy occasions. Suits come in certain colors and are all a certain level of formal. Dresses and other outfits can range from casual to black tie. Therefore, gold, silver, tan, white, red, pink, flat, tall, black, brown, open toed (summer), closed toed (winter and conservative occasions), strappy, comfy, shiny, etc. may all be necessary. This is all for normal women who purchase a normal amount of shoes. Women who are addicted to shoes are a totally different story.
Try having a wife and daughter who wear the same shoe size. I have nine million pairs of size 7 1/2 shoes in my house. But they keep "needing" more.
Honestly, I am NOT a shoe hound or whatever. I have like 4 pair of flip flops, a pair of Docs, a pair of black boots, slippers and 2 pr of black heels. I may have another pair of heels, but I don't wear them, and also 2 pr of running/work out shoes. I'm not the kind to buy a pr to wear with a dress for 1 time. That's ridiculous AND a waste of money. Not for me.
Yea, what WhoseHouse said. And to that you can add the shoes I bought two pairs of, because they were comfortable AND they looked good, and I wanted to make sure I'd still have them to wear, when I wore out the first pair.
I believe that women generally (not all) are unable to explain their own behavior. So here is a challenge to the ladies: can you explain in scientific/biological or some other logical way your attraction to shoes?
For me and a lot of other women, I think it has to do with body issues sometimes as well. Whether your weight fluctuates a lot or not, some days women just feel fat and feel like nothing in their closet looks good. But the shoes still fit and look pretty. Whenever I put on a few pounds I don't want to buy clothes in a bigger size, so until I get it off I revert to buying shoes and handbags.
This thread inspired me to rummage through my closet. I'm proud to say I only have 15 pairs of shoes. Over the last couple of moves I've done I've donated over half of what I had (been in storage "just in case") to Goodwill. My mother is one of those "shoe hounds" you speak of. I'm positive she is in triple digits; and she'll buy them just to wear with one outfit.
I own 8 pairs of shoes, if you count waders. There is no possible way that a human being can need or want more than 30 pairs of shoes.
Shoes don't make you feel fat, they don't talk back, they don't need a diaper change, they don't wake up in the middle of the night, they don't need dinner cooked, they don't come home drunk after a night with the boys... they are perfect. I only wish I could afford to buy every pair I liked.
I blame "Sex in the City." Yes, there were shoe-hounds before that, but SITC made it 20 times worse and brought it to the masses. Collecting shoes wasn't just for the rich like Marcos. Now every trendy girl has to buy a pair a week, including Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik. I guess it's good for the economy. Handbag hounds might be even worse. I can understand shoes - you need them everyday and want them to be comfortable. But spending $500+ for purses? Damn.
Don't get me started on purses. Fortunately, I think the Army has broken my wife of the purse hound bug but for a while 6-7 years ago, she had way too many.
See? It's all a question of priorities. I may have 150 pairs of shoes, but I only have a total of 4 purses, if you count the two really dressy/formal ones. Other than that, it's just two.
My stepmother has more than 500 pairs of shoes. It's remarkable. She'll have the same exact shoe but in, maybe, five different colors. She keeps them meticulously in this big "shoe chest" that my dad made for her.
Guys should know and accept that there is an Imelda Marcos hiding inside every woman. On a related note, this is a great song by Kristy MacColl: I once met a man with a sense of adventure He was dressed to thrill wherever he went He said "Let's make love on a mountain top Under the stars on a big hard rock" I said "In these shoes? I don't think so" I said "Honey, let's do it here."So I'm sitting at a bar in Guadalajara In walks a guy with a faraway look in his eyes He said "I've got as powerful horse outside Climb on the back, I'll take you for a ride I know a little place, we can get there for the break of day." I said "In these shoes? No way, Jose" I said "Honey, let's stay right here." No le gusta caminar. No puede montar a caballo (She doesn't like to walk, she can't ride a horse) Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo (But the way she dances, it's a scandal) Then I met an Englishman "Oh" he said "Won't you walk up and down my spine, It makes me feel strangely alive." I said "In these shoes? I doubt you'd survive." I said "Honey, let's do it. Let's stay right here." No le gusta caminar. No puede montar a caballo (She doesn't like to walk, she can't ride a horse) Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo (But the way she dances, it's a scandal) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont really understand the shoe thing. But what I really dont understand is the obese woman that is obsessed with shoes. If she would pay as much attention to a treadmill as she does shoes she might actually look good in a pair.
