Shoes?
Shoes. There’s so much you can infer about a person just by looking at their shoes (or if they’re wearing them at all). Are they clean, are they dirty, are they creased? Are they sneakers, high heels, platforms, boots, wedges, or sandals?
Most people I know put a lot of thought into what kind of shoes they wear because of how they want to be perceived. There are those that are Nike or Puma or Converse loyalists, and there are those that will choose heels over flats because she thinks it looks better. I confess myself to be shoe obsessed but nowhere near Imelda Marcos (who owns over 2700 pairs!). Although I own shoes from my Adidas Samba Vintage’s to 6-inch hot pink heels, I am very particular about the shoes I wear. In the end, they have to feel good and look good.
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However, after years of dance and soccer, the bones in my feet have shifted, and it made running for an extended amount of time painful. So I looked up some shoes that would replicate barefoot running and I found Vibram FiveFingers. The name is not exactly appealing and at first glance, I thought: “People actually wear those things??” But after reading reviews for a while, and continued pain while running in my regular sneakers, I bought them. When I got home and showed my family, they all laughed and said I would look ridiculous. I’d seen them on some other people and they did look a bit odd; but if I could run comfortably in them, I wouldn’t care.
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I didn’t have a chance to run in them before going to New Mexico in a program where we would be doing water testing, a perfect opportunity to wear them anyway. My roommate, a student from Puerto Rico arrived wearing the craziest looking sandals I’d ever seen. She told me that she calls them the “amphibians” and that they were the most comfortable sandals ever. When she wore them out, everyone commented on them; some were positive responses, but most people thought they were just weird. A few days later, we went water testing and I brought out the Vibrams to which I was also questioned on my choice of footwear. My roommate and I laughed at the interest in our shoes and everyone whether they liked them or not, were intrigued.
I wear them on all my runs now, and people stare sometimes, but I could care less.
3 comments
Whenever I search for a new pair of running shoes to adjust to an injury, I usually just look for plenty of cushioning and a typical running shoe brand, like Saucony. I have never heard of Vibram FiveFingers, but I think it is certainly worth it to choose comfort over looks when it comes to exercise footwear!
I love the images you included in your piece, without them I definitely wouldn’t have appreciated the reactions you got from people over a pair of shoes. Considering how much you love shoes, this topic was perfect for you to discuss and I appreciate the comfort with which you speak about foot ware and about people who clearly don’t feel the same way about shoes that you do.
Many people expertise numerous forms of discomfort after working, akin to sore ankles, aching knees or ache of their hips and decrease back – this is all because they are working in opposition to their physique and never with it.