BobHH

The last girl friend who thought my heels were sexy is not around any more - nothing to do with shoes but there were enough other problems, though we still communicate once in a while. Another lady who knows about and has seen me in heels, I took to Hawaii last year (strictly friendship), but she is now married. A sometime one is a college student whose normal mode of dress is trainers, jeans, and a tank top or a sweatshirt. She knows nothing and isn't into shoes herself. I have a dance partner who is tall and sexy and beautiful. She is a shoe freak, she says. She wears some sexy heels but has studiously ignored any comments on my part. She does not seem to interested in relationships with men beyond dancing and a little partying. Oh, well...

The original statement that "they are only shooz" relates to another one I saw which said, in essence "Have fun, it's only clothes", meaning don't get all up tight about high heels, they are only shoes. Of course they are more than that to most of us and to many females also, but the message is that people shouldn't get all upset by different kinds of shoes.

The "they are just shoes" originated, I think, from Jenny on the original site, spelled "shooz." I have also seen it somewhere else, but don't remember when. People and media are so desperate for a little something to sell stories and titillate otherwise drab lives that they will seize on any perceived aberration from some norm.

No, I didn't know.

Shoes USA is a California company (www.shoesusa.com) that makes heels to your size and to some extent to your style. They are expensive compared to most of the popular brands (which are mostly made in China) such as Ellie, Pleaser, etc. I purchased the Diana style (illustrated). It is a wood platform unit, metal heel, and leather footbed and upper. Price $209, size 13 US womens, medium width. Critique: Very well constructed, lots of padding in footbed, all leather upper, very comfortable. These shoes are very generously sized, particularly in width - I would say one to maybe 2 sizes wider than Pleaser, for instance. They are also generous in length, but not as much. The soles are quite wide, unlike most mass-produced heels, so they are more stable and easier than most to walk in. The 4 1/2 in. heel is not as high as I might want, but it's OK, with a rise of about 4 5/8 inches. A 5 1/2 in. heel is also listed but I think it requires going to a high platform, and even then has a rise of about a full 5 inches. A thumbs up rating, but be careful of the sizes if you order.

I use Super Glue.

I'm sure the youngest son knows, as the wife and I were caught wearing heels when he came home unexpectedly years ago, several times. He also came in once when I was with the then girlfriend a few years ago, and she said he noticed. Last night he walked in while I was in the kitchen in stiletto slides, but he has never said anything. He moved into his own place around Xmas, but still comes back when he wants. Other than that, no family knows, only some female friends.

Is the Shoe Critique forum for others to critique what we wear, or does it include a critique or review of shoes we have bought by us?

It took me a while before I could tell my young wife, and it was a very nervous time, but I finally did, and it was no big deal to her. She liked heels, too. We went shopping together for shoes, and she encouraged me to wear them wherever and whenever I wanted (except to church). Mostly 6" stiletto platforms in those days (now I have abandoned the high platforms as too hard to walk on unknown surfaces). But I lost her to a heart attack 7 years ago. Girlfriend (now ex) was clued in early. We also went shopping and she thought my stiletto heels were very sexy. Another lady friend (tall) thought the heels were wonderful and that was the only public outing, on a crowded street on Halloween. They were 5 inch stiletto slides, with jeans and black socks, though she wanted me to lose the socks. Lots of favorable comments from women. Lately and current lady friend (now married but still a friend) who is 5' 10" tall and won't wear heels, though she tries mine, is fine with them, though she won't wear heels herself, saying she can't walk in them and is not willing to try. No real girlfriends now, and one sort of friend doesn't know and a dance partner doesn't know or wasn't listening. Both very young compared to me.

It would be nice to remove "fetish", "stripper", and "crossdresser" from the descriptions of high heels on eBay. Those terms are a real turn-off for me. Shoes are just shoes, even with high heels. I would tend not to order from someone who uses those descriptors.