{"id":80,"date":"2007-03-29T14:34:26","date_gmt":"2007-03-29T18:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fashionforrealwomen.com\/blog\/?p=80"},"modified":"2013-03-01T14:10:35","modified_gmt":"2013-03-01T19:10:35","slug":"the-secret-language-of-shoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionforrealwomen.com\/blog\/the-secret-language-of-shoes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Language of Shoes"},"content":{"rendered":"

No long ago, I was invited to be a judge in a local preliminary pageant for the Miss America Organization.\u00a0 Having participated in pageants myself years ago, I thought it might be fun to see how things had changed over the years.\u00a0 It was both interesting and educational being on the other side of the table.<\/p>\n

After spending most of the day with the other judges, during which time we were not allowed to discuss the contestants, I found the comments that came after the pageant very telling.\u00a0 While there were the usual remarks about clothing, costumes, and talent, there was also a reoccurring theme in the judges’ room:<\/p>\n

“Loved the dress, hated the shoes.”<\/p>\n

“What was she thinking with those shoes?”<\/p>\n

“She’d never do well at State in shoes like that.”<\/p>\n

And no, they weren’t talking about the same girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I don’t know if it was because we were eye-level to the girls’ feet while they were on stage or what, but all of us seemed to have something to say about shoes.\u00a0 Interestingly, most of the girls who scored the highest stuck with one pair of shoes throughout the competition:\u00a0 a flesh-colored pair of pumps that elongated their legs during the swimsuit competition and disappeared during the interview, talent, and evening gown competitions.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\"Beige
\n<\/a>Stuart Weitzman<\/a>
\nZappos<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

A<\/span>m I saying these girls placed well just because of their shoes?\u00a0 No, the top performers were all well-rounded.\u00a0 But unlike some of the others, their choice of shoe didn’t hurt them in the competition.<\/p>\n

So what does this have to do with you?<\/p>\n

Take a look at the shoes you have on right now.<\/p>\n

Are they clean?\u00a0 Shined?\u00a0 Well-soled?\u00a0 Appropriate to where you are and the clothes you have on?<\/p>\n

If not, you could be hurting your chances of getting a promotion, enjoying better service, or even attracting the ideal mate.\u00a0 All because of your shoes.<\/p>\n

I know, it sounds crazy.<\/p>\n

But since your shoes are one of the things that immediately convey your socio-economic status, not taking the time to care for them or wear them appropriately reveals more about you than you realize.\u00a0 It took the pageant to remind me of just how critical people can be in this regard, especially of those who dare to step into the spotlight or into leadership positions.<\/p>\n

To be taken seriously, you need to know the rules for dressing appropriately.<\/p>\n

Get it right and people will start to dig deeper to learn more about you.\u00a0 Get it wrong and you may be dismissed outright.<\/p>\n

Fair?<\/p>\n

Of course not!<\/p>\n

But it all boils down to our survival instinct.\u00a0 We like to know at a glance whether we’re facing friend or foe.\u00a0 We tend to gravitate towards people who are dressed the same way we are; we tend to exercise caution with people who are dressed very differently from us, until we learn more about them.\u00a0 It’s a strategy that has worked well for thousands of years.<\/p>\n

Once we’ve ascertained the friend\/foe status, we tend to zero in on the details to glean more information.\u00a0 Hair, makeup, clothes, and accessories all provide clues to a person’s background, education level, and probably income, as this quote from the movie Silence of the Lambs<\/em>\u00a0(1991) so accurately reveals:<\/p>\n

“You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you’re not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling?”<\/em> — Hannibal Lecter<\/p>\n

So again, what do your shoes say about you?<\/p>\n

Here are some things to consider about women’s shoes:<\/p>\n