Disclaimer: I've got a lotta thoughts. Most are silly but occasionaly one causes me to stop and really ponder...
I received a forward last week about outrageous shoe fashions. The pictures showed heels so high that the individual wearing the shoe was practically on tippy toe. The email compared the trend to the Geisha custom of wrapping a girl's feet. The pictures disturbed me greatly yet intrigued me to research the topic.
Innocence is bliss.
I read many reasons for the custom but overall, it came down to what the culture defined as beauty. A woman with bound feet was much more desirable than a woman with 'clown feet'. The fact that a woman with bound feet was not able to walk far or very long unassisted ensured that she would be faithful to her family and displayed her tolerance of pain.
This knowledge upset me so much that I wrote my thoughts in my journal. I could not understand how a culture could dictate a custom that was so warped and perverted. Could these women not see that 'beauty' was crippling?
The scary realization came when I recognized some customs I have endured in the name of beauty. I have:
* waxed or plucked my eyebrows for years
* had electrolysis treatments monthly for one year
* had my ears pierced
* own spandex underclothes to help me suck in so I fit in tight outfits
* worn heel shoes so high my arches hurt at each step
* burned my forehead, neck, and fingers various times while curling/straightening my hair
* laid in a tanning booth and burned
I know others who:
* have had botox
* are anorexic or bulimic
* have had chest implants
* have had tummy tucks or liposuction
Why? I don't like wearing heels that make my feet hurt. I don't like wearing clothes so tight I can hardly breath. During one electrolysis appointment, the needle hit a small blood vessel near my eye and it ruptured. I had a bruise near my eyebrow for a week. A friend once told me in confidence that she was anorexic. I asked her what she had eaten that day. She suggested I rephrase the question to what she had eaten that week. It was a Thursday and she had eaten one spoonful of applesauce and three baby carrots since Monday.
This is beauty? No thanks.
I plan on being me. I will wear shoes and styles that are comfortable to me. This does not mean I will only wear sack cloth robes and sandals...I still plan to be feminine but in a way that is comfortable and acceptable to me.
Whew. Now I can step down from the soap box.
step, step, step.
This blog written wearing shorts, a tee shirt, and my new sketchers.
