Ok, I’m not going to boo hoo again about why it’s so impossible to find shoes in a 9 1/2 (sure, pricier pairs tend to offer more sizes but under $20 cheapies like I just bought—baby wedges and sandals that have already sold out—stop half sizes after 8 1/2). I’ve come to terms with the fact that my shoes will always be too snug or too loose.
My not-so-new trauma that’s finally pushed me to the edge is how the back heels of my shoes get mysteriously shredded right down to the plastic core like bone exposed through flesh. These white shoes (I know, white shoes are just asking for trouble—I think I was drawn to them because of the little heart cut outs on the insole even though no one ever sees the shapes) have been worn less than 12 times in the nearly three years that I’ve owned them yet the backs are completely destroyed. Just going to work Thursday created the flapping gash on the left shoe.
Yeah, supposedly New Yorkers walk like fiends (it’s true that I used to wear high heels much more frequently before moving here because I drove everywhere). I’ve timed that I spend 30 minutes on my feet to and from work (5 minutes to the subway and 10 from the subway to my office), which I could see wearing down the soles but how does simply walking fast affect the back of a shoe? I don’t walk through gravel, on grates or skid around. No one’s giving me “flat tires” or kicking my feet.
I can no longer buy shoes that have fabric or leather on the heel or else it will just end badly. I was eyeing these pointlessly colorful pumps with sensibly high heels, then had to stop myself before getting too into them. It would never work. And don’t tell me that spending $300 on a pair of shoes would somehow up the quality and prevent this mayhem. I’d just end up with a ruined $300 pair of shoes. How do other women keep from scraping the hell out of their heels?
