“The fact that Cinderella left a glass slipper is not a mere coincidence.” –Mary Jo Rapini
This time of year symbolizes back to school, the end of summer, fashion week in New York City and elsewhere, and shoe sales. Every one of my friends has been shoe shopping within the last three weeks. In 2007, Consumer Report National Research Center polled 1,057 women and found that women on average own 19 pairs of shoes. Compare this to men’s four pairs at most. Guys don’t understand the need for their woman’s fascination with shoes. They wear them despite their pain from too high a heel, and suffer bunions and back aches for the right shoe. More than forty percent of the women from the survey had mentioned being injured from their shoes. In my own closet, I have six pair of shoes that I carry in my bag to put on prior to an interview and take off quickly afterwards due to the pain of wearing them for more than an hour.
A survey done by Glamour magazine, along with a body image expert and friend (Anne Kearney-Cooke Ph.D.), revealed that 97 percent of the women surveyed said they had moments of body hate. These moments of body hate involved being too heavy, being too short, feeling dumpy and undesirable. When women are asked to rate the clothes in their closet that give them the most sex appeal with the least effort, shoes are amongst the first two items listed. Sorokowski and Pawlowski (Evolution and Human Behavior, 2008) led a research study to find the formula for the perfect legs, and the answer was that they needed to be 5% longer than your torso, but not too long. Both males and females were asked to evaluate the attractiveness of silhouettes of men and women. An average height of 5 foot 4 inches was rated most attractive when their inseam was 30.5 inches, 5%longer than the average leg measurement for a person that size. In other words, you could be more attractive if you could lengthen your legs by a few inches. This helps to explain why women love shoes.
There are other emotional and psychological reasons women love shoes.
- Weight is a huge issue in the U.S., and there is no quick fix. However, the right pair of platforms, or a wedge sandal can give you height, make you look thinner, and add sex appeal within minutes.
- Heels also make posture more appealing, and smart stockings never look as sexy with flats.
- Women may be conservative in their dress, but their shoes are one accessory they can be a little bit less conservative with. This helps them express their more artistic side, while still conforming to the conservative institution within they work. Feeling in control of your image helps women feel more confident and better about themselves.
- Men look at women’s shoes too, which helps women get the attention they want.
- Shoes don’t need to break a woman’s budget either, because cute shoes can be found at stores such as Famous Footwear or T.J.Maxx as easily as they can be found at Neiman Marcus. The other great bonus is the less you spend for a pair of shoes the more shoes you can purchase. Most women I know personally have more than forty pair of shoes.
- The more compliments women receive from other women the better they feel about themselves. I have never worn a pair of cute shoes with less than ten women approving my choice.
Women were raised with the story of Cinderella and continue the search for their handsome prince. The fact that Cinderella left a glass slipper is not a mere coincidence. Women have been looking for that particular glass slipper ever since they first heard the story. –Mary Jo Rapini