2008 Woodie Awards
A Pile of Shoes, Nowhere to Go
Nicole Amaral '10
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Portfolio
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There is a picture of myself at about age three, contentedly smiling in the middle of my living room. I'm not surrounded by dolls or stuffed animals like a normal child. I'm surrounded by shoes. My mother tells me that when she'd bring me to a store, I would often struggle between whether to drag her to the toy aisle or the shoe aisle first. My first summer job was at a shoe store. I like to think that I inherited some strange shoe gene, or perhaps it's just a subconscious desire to be taller than my 4'11" (and a half!) height that gives me that insatiable craving for three+ inch footwear. Or, more likely, I'm just insane.
In high school my obsession flourished. Sitting in a desk all day in a school with a few short hallways was the perfect environment to display lemon yellow pointy-toed Steve Maddens. I could go a month without wearing the same pair of shoes twice, a fact which shocked and horrified some. College, however, presented some interesting challenges for the shoe addicted, and it has taken me some time to adapt
When my parents asked which shoes I'd be taking to college, I confidently replied, "All." They didn't even try to fight me on that one. Three boxes of shoes came with me to PC, leaving behind only the really dressy ones and some flip flops. After all I thought, you never know when you are going to be caught in a situation where you desperately need your black and white patent leather sling backs.
That situation, unfortunately, never came. I tried once to wear a pair of heeled boots to class, but I quickly realized this was a bad idea as I climbed the stairs to my class on the fourth floor of Harkins. I would wear my heels out on the weekends, but even this proved impossible, as my group of friends walked from McVinney to Fennell to Slavin, then back to Fennell then back to McVinney.
I was left with three boxes of useless heels and an entire campus of classes to get to. I made do with a few pairs of flat Mary-Janes, one pair of Skechers sneakers that were more stylish than functional, and the pair of running shoes I'd had since the 8th grade. This solution did not last long. The weather soon became too cold for the Mary-Janes. The Skechers gave me blisters and the running shoes were just too old and too hideous.
I eventually did what I never thought I'd do . . . I bought a pair of Uggs. They were comfortable and warm (and expensive, but if you're obsessed with shoes, that's beside the point). Although I once had qualms about buying footwear that seemingly every other girl at PC has, my feet have been happy in their fluffy Australian cocoons ever since.
Though lessened considerably, my closet continues to expand, and I remain constantly vigilant in search of heels that fit my size five feet. I'm sure by now you're all familiar with the infamous "Shoes" YouTube video. When it first came out, I got at least eight e-mails from friends saying "That's you!"
Uncomfortable as it is to be compared to a cross-dressing YouTube star, I can't pretend there's not some resemblance in regards to the shoe habit . . . but what girl doesn't love shoes?
In high school my obsession flourished. Sitting in a desk all day in a school with a few short hallways was the perfect environment to display lemon yellow pointy-toed Steve Maddens. I could go a month without wearing the same pair of shoes twice, a fact which shocked and horrified some. College, however, presented some interesting challenges for the shoe addicted, and it has taken me some time to adapt
When my parents asked which shoes I'd be taking to college, I confidently replied, "All." They didn't even try to fight me on that one. Three boxes of shoes came with me to PC, leaving behind only the really dressy ones and some flip flops. After all I thought, you never know when you are going to be caught in a situation where you desperately need your black and white patent leather sling backs.
That situation, unfortunately, never came. I tried once to wear a pair of heeled boots to class, but I quickly realized this was a bad idea as I climbed the stairs to my class on the fourth floor of Harkins. I would wear my heels out on the weekends, but even this proved impossible, as my group of friends walked from McVinney to Fennell to Slavin, then back to Fennell then back to McVinney.
I was left with three boxes of useless heels and an entire campus of classes to get to. I made do with a few pairs of flat Mary-Janes, one pair of Skechers sneakers that were more stylish than functional, and the pair of running shoes I'd had since the 8th grade. This solution did not last long. The weather soon became too cold for the Mary-Janes. The Skechers gave me blisters and the running shoes were just too old and too hideous.
I eventually did what I never thought I'd do . . . I bought a pair of Uggs. They were comfortable and warm (and expensive, but if you're obsessed with shoes, that's beside the point). Although I once had qualms about buying footwear that seemingly every other girl at PC has, my feet have been happy in their fluffy Australian cocoons ever since.
Though lessened considerably, my closet continues to expand, and I remain constantly vigilant in search of heels that fit my size five feet. I'm sure by now you're all familiar with the infamous "Shoes" YouTube video. When it first came out, I got at least eight e-mails from friends saying "That's you!"
Uncomfortable as it is to be compared to a cross-dressing YouTube star, I can't pretend there's not some resemblance in regards to the shoe habit . . . but what girl doesn't love shoes?