Ever since I first saw the flash of a red sole on the runway when I was a teen, I immediately began lusting after a pair of Christian Louboutin heels. Even to this day, whenever I make one of my frequent trips to Selfridges, I will religiously peruse through the Louboutin boutique in the Shoe Gallery. Seeing those heels glistening in the spot lights that surround them make my heart want to skip a beat, as hyperbolic as that may sound! I feel that women have a genetic predisposition to being highly seduced fairly easily by alluring footwear. And pretty much every woman on the planet would consider it ecstasy to OD on Louboutins.
My love for Loubs aside, a recent statement Mr L made about his opposition to women wearing flat shoes really did get under my skin:
'I hate the concept of comfort! Comfy, that's one of the worst words! I just picture a woman feeling bad, with a big bottle of alcohol, really puffy. It's really depressing, but she likes her life because she has comfortable clogs.'
'The core of my work is dedicated not to pleasing women, but to pleasing men. Men are like bulls - they cannot resist the red sole.'
I actually feel betrayed by the man I used to worship for making these absolutely stunning heels. Was he right? Is being comfortable and wearing flats just women compromising beauty and art for what's second best, or was he in fact being incredibly patronising, objectifying women, and subliminally approving the chauvinistic attitude of men?! Might I add, also stereotyping men as these incredibly shallow and dense creatures comparable to bulls?! I feel his statement is almost one step back for womankind, portraying women as the lesser beings that choose to dress in a certain way only to please men and never themselves.
Despite my love for sky-rocketing heels, I opt for flats most of the time - not because I live up to his expectation of being a puffy-eyed alcoholic - but because I am practical. London is wonderfully chic and fashionable. We have it all - the runways, the couture, the six-foot models prancing around in stilettos. However for me, I just want to be able to get from A to B without buckling several hundred times, and without having to move at a glacial pace because my shoes are ridiculously high!
Louboutin, I will always love you for your talent in creating visionary heels, but comments like those really are demeaning to the everyday gal. The gal that wants to go for a jog in the morning. The gal that's in a rush to get to work. The gal that just wants to wear flip flops to go out and grab some milk. Gals that love Louboutins but don't want their entire lives dictated by pretentious designers!
We Are Not Your Expectations.
