True life: women love shoes

04/16/09 - Everyday I am asked by at least one of my male friends about what makes a woman tick? What are we thinking? What do we want? (P.S. - we don't know!) Why are we obsessed with chocolate? Even I don't have the answers to all of those questions. However, as a woman who owns around 60-70 pairs of shoes, I can certainly give you some insight as to why we are addicted to shoes.

It's not that we're all masochists and love the pain that accompanies breaking in a new pair of 4-inch pumps, but we're raised to love accessories. I'm pulling the Barbie card on this one. She played an enormous role in my love for accessories.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those women who blame Barbie for every teenage girl with an eating disorder because even with her perfect hourglass figure, Ken still left her after 43 years on Feb. 13, 2004.

While I never desired to have Barbie's figure or that ridiculous blonde hair, I loved her style. She had shoes in every color and style and a million outfits to wear them with. And every outfit came with a new pair of shoes and a matching purse. So it's only natural that we feel a need to get a new pair of shoes every time we go shopping.

Aside from my whole Barbie theory, here are a few reasons why I think women love shoes:

1. Shoes don't criticize you. Shoes always fit right, unlike that pair of "skinny jeans" in the back of your closet. You know, your favorite pair of jeans. The ones you've outgrown but you kept just in case you happen to lose that extra five pounds. Unlike Miranda from Sex and the City, you probably won't ever fit into them again; even hers ripped at the end of the show. So throw them away and indulge in a new pair of shoes. Shoes will still fit perfectly after that pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.

2. Women love variety. Black pumps, contrary to popular belief, do not match everything. And we definitely can't be running around in 4.5-inch heels all day. Perhaps we go a little overboard when it comes to variety but sometimes you need the perfect pair of shoes to make the outfit. Don't judge us.

3. Shoes always fit. Assuming that you bought the shoes during or after high school, shoes should always fit you. Once a size seven, always a size seven. Your feet don't grow two sizes after college. A well-made pair of shoes should fit you for years. Especially since you're not going to be wearing the same pair everyday.

4. Fashion, like history, repeats itself. Need I say more? What's popular now will almost always come back in style some day...or at least the shoes might. Look at platform shoes, which were fashionable in the 1970s. Every teenybopper wanted a pair when the Spice Girls ruled the airwaves in the mid-to-late nineties.

5. Indecisiveness. I'll admit it, women change their minds like it's their job. If we have a lot of options, sure it's easier for us to spend an hour trying to figure out what to wear. But at least we'll have the option, as opposed to putting on an outfit and saying, "You know, a pair of leopard-print kitten heels would go great with this outfit."

6. Bargain hunting. Our love of shopping doesn't stem from our love to spend hundreds of dollars every time we go to the mall. As a matter of fact, most of us only shop the clearance rack and come back with some of the best outfits for under $50. The same can be said for shoes. I once bought a $70 pair of shoes for $5 on the clearance shelf and I get compliments every time I wear them.

7. Style. Even if you don't think our shoes are particularly fashionable or cute, we do. Girls love to think they're stylish, even if they're not. And for the most part, with shoes, you can't go wrong. The great thing about shoes is that they can be worn in a million different ways and within multiple subcultures so pretty much anything goes.

The next time your girlfriend complains that her feet hurt from the high heels she decided to wear on your next date, you'll know that she loves it and was probably trying to look good for you; but that's not the sole reason we dress the way we do. So compliment her! And when your girlfriend just HAS to have that pair of shoes, you'll understand that it's more than just a compulsion.