For the Love of High Heels Essay -- Shoes Fashion Essays

For the Love of High Heels As I watch a fellow student teeter down the stairs in the campus center, her normally flamboyant bounce is no where to be seen as she tensely grips the guardrail. She lowers herself delicately down, each step carefully calculated. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot- and she makes it to the bottom without mishap. The culprits encumbering her normally wild grace are easily discerned; her shoes. Her feet are wrapped up in four inch- plus a one inch platform to make for a total of five inches- fire engine red heels. They're strappy sandals that lace half way up her calves with a silk ribbon and have effectively made walking an ordeal. Why do we do this? Well darling, because "Shoes are hot!" (Benstock & Ferriss p1) That's right, shoes are hot, and the hottest ones of all are high heels. They're collected, worn, and loved by women across the globe. They're everywhere. They run rampant in books, calendars, photographs, album and movie covers, dangling in miniature precious metal versions from earlobes and chains, and let's not forget the most important place- women's closets. Shoes are no longer something one simply wears on their feet, but a passion, a hobby, one's personal statement, a source of authority, sexual independence and joy. They're a constant obsession in pop culture, endlessly talked about and fetishized in television, movies, song lyrics, and seem to be worn without fail by glamorous celebrities no matter the occasion. The most notorious of the shoe loving pop culture media is of the smash HBO series Sex in the City, in which shoes are one it's main themes. Physically high heel shoes, and specifically the stiletto, are the source of much debate. More and more studies... ...and Benstock write that there is "...satisfaction we take in having purchased a pair of shoes that 'is us,' that represents us... The fashionable dress of the Western world is one means whereby an always fragmentary self is glued together into a semblance of unified identity. Shoes serve as markers of gender, class, race, ethnicity, and even sexuality." (p4) The idea of piecing ourselves together with our things can be applied to any accessory or article of clothing, but I argue that shoes are more than that. Power, sexuality and sheer aesthetic pleasure contribute to a love of shoes. Janet Lyon reflects upon the mystery of the love of shoes writing, "How is one to account for this hypnotic allure, for so many generations of modernity's women, of the impractical, foot-deforming, outrageous shoe?....For fabulous shoes are indeed a joy." (Benstock & Ferriss p273)

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 25

25. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, Failed Nosferatu, Heartbroken Day Dweller, and Deposed Backup Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Darkness My heady powers of the night are gone, my manga-haired love monkey with a most fly ride is gone, even my tail is gone-worst of all, the Countess is gone. We watched her sail off just before dawn, the Rastafarian imbecile piloting the Raven out past Alcatraz as we stood there on the dock. Then Rivera and Cavuto came blazing up in their shit-brown cop-mobile and jumped out of the car, all â€Å"We have totally watched a number of cop shows and now know how to look urgent.† And Cavuto is all, â€Å"Don't even move, missy.† And he's holding a Super Soaker again. This time, a yellow one. And Rivera is all creeping up the other side of the dock, as if we don't see him, even though the dock is only like fifteen feet wide and there's no cover and it's almost dawn. And Tommy's like, â€Å"You guys, I should probably explain.† But before he can say anything else, I jump up and I'm all, â€Å"Rawr,† at them, coming down with total monster claw hands and scary face. And they fire up their sun jackets and totally open up on Tommy and me with the Super Soakers, until we are wet and laughing so hard that we're falling down on each other. And Marvin jumps out of the car window and runs over to us all doggie â€Å"whaaaa?† face, because he doesn't see a lot of laughing in the cadaver dog business. And Rivera looks at Cavuto, then turns off his sun jacket, and Cavuto turns off his, then holds his squirt gun like it's just turned into a giant yellow turd. And he's all, â€Å"Well, fuck.† And I'm all, â€Å"Oh ass bear, you make me wet,† which totally made us giggle some more, and Marvin ran over and started licking my face, which made me laugh even more, until finally Rivera pulled out his handcuffs and we stopped laughing. So we explained about the old vamps being dead and how they had gotten rid of all the kitty vamps and Chet, and how everyone else had been changed back like us, and it was all good so they just needed to chill the fuck out. And Rivera's all, â€Å"What about the black ship?† And we're like, â€Å"It was owned by this eccentric bazil-lionaire, and the vamps had taken it over, but now that they were dead he was going home.† And Rivera was all, â€Å"But the Emperor said-â€Å" And I'm all, â€Å"Bitch, please. The Emperor of San Francisco, protector of Alcatraz, Sausalito, and Treasure Island, you mean?† Snarking hard. And Rivera is all, â€Å"Okay, good point.† And then the Animals all pull up in two cars, and they jump out all loaded up with squirt guns and garden sprayers, and the Emperor and his dogs jump out, and they are all ready to kick ass, when Rivera stopped them and ‘splained and they went off to get high and the Emperor walked off down the waterfront, watching the Raven sail out to the Golden Gate. ‘Kayso, now the sun is up and Rivera and Cavuto realize that we are totally not vamps, so they take Marvin and climb in their shit-brown mobile and drive off. So Tommy and I are just standing there, at the edge of the dock, and we can just barely see the Raven out by the Golden Gate Bridge, her sails up now, all silver in the sun. And I'm like, â€Å"We should probably go get that money the Countess hid on the roof. It's like three hundred thousand dollars.† The Countess told us where it was before she left. She said she wouldn't need it. And he's like, â€Å"Yeah. It might be a little harder to get up there now that we don't have super powers.† And I'm like, â€Å"She said there's a fire escape most of the way.† And he's all, â€Å"‘Kay.† And he's just staring at the ship. So I'm like, â€Å"So I know you're not nosferatu anymore, but I could still be your minion, if you needed one.† And he's like, â€Å"I'm kind of broken-hearted over here.† And I'm like, â€Å"Me, too.† And he's all, â€Å"Besides, I think you've sort of advanced beyond the level of minion.† So I'm like, â€Å"I could be your girlfriend.† And he's all, â€Å"I thought you loved Foo.† And I'm like, â€Å"I kind of do.† So then he's like, â€Å"I thought you loved Jody.† And I'm all, â€Å"I do. I'm polyamorous.† And he's like, â€Å"Now you want to fuck parrots?!† And I was about to go off on him, but I saw he was grinning, so I just elbowed him in the ribs, like, you dick, as we watched the ship disappear into the fog outside the bridge. And he's like, â€Å"When do you think the Raven will be back?† And I go, all scary voice, â€Å"Nevermore.† Then he looks at me, with a big smile, and he takes my hand. And I totally wanted to kiss him, with plenty of despair and tongue and whatnot. But then I would have had to slap him, so he didn't think that I was a slut, since I'd only been dumped like hours before. But then I thought, he might slap me for the same reason, so instead of a kiss I decided to do a small celebratory booty dance of forbidden passion, which made him grin like a big doof. So we sort of stood there, holding hands, looking at where the ship used to be, realizing that the future was fucking ginormously huge. Like the abyss, only, you know, with better lighting. And I'm all, â€Å"So what now, cornflakes?† Then he's all, â€Å"I think I'll write a book.†

Shakespeare s Tragic History Julius Caesar - 1346 Words

Shakespeare’s tragic history, Julius Caesar, shows what can happen when mere men, though supposedly honorable, attempt to rid themselves of an apparently ambitious and therefore dangerous ruler. In the pages of this complex play, two words are used often and are applied to the main characters. Though initially appearing unrelated, these words, ambition, and honor, are actually related, and can help to unlock the theme of the play. First, it is important to know what meanings Shakespeare would have been intending by using these words in the play. After exploring how they appear in the play, they will then be used to explore the meaning of the entire play. Finally, how their meanings apply to real life today will be examined. Shakespeare lived in the 1500s and 1600s, and the meanings of honor and ambition he would have been accustomed to were not necessarily the same as the ones used today. According to an online etymological dictionary, ambition in the 1300s was defined as â€Å"a striving for favor, courting, flattery; a desire for honor, thirst for popularity† (www.etymonline.com). Again using the same site, honor in the 1200s and 1300s had several meanings, â€Å"glory, renown, fame earned† (1200s), or â€Å"nobleness of character or manners† (1300s), as well as the verb honor which could mean â€Å"action of honoring or paying respect to† (1300s) (www.etymonline.com). These definitions are exemplified in the play. Brutus, who claimed that â€Å"†¦I love the name of honor more than I fear death†Show MoreRelatedShakespeare’S Tragic Hero . William Shakespeare, â€Å" The1492 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s Tragic Hero William Shakespeare, â€Å" The Bard†, is one of the most influential figure that shaped the english language. He has wrote some of the most well known poetry and plays. Also he has has a large influence on the english language itself. He added around 5,000 different words that we still use today. Some Shakespeare’s most well known plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was one of Shakespeare s plays that areRead MoreJulius Caesar : A Tragic Hero934 Words   |  4 PagesJulius Caesar is a work of art by William Shakespeare in 1599. Within this play Julius Caesar is portrayed as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as â€Å"the main character of a tragedy [who is] usually dignified, courageous, and high ranking† (novel study guide). Also vital to defining a tragic hero is that, â€Å"the hero’s downfall is caused by a tragic flaw† ( novel study guide). It is very evident that J ulius Caesar in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragic hero given that he is of nobleRead MoreJulius Caesar : A Tragic Hero937 Words   |  4 Pages Caesar the Great Julius Caesar is a work of art by William Shakespeare in 1599. 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