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Read the footnotes?

Many women are obsessed with wearing the right kind of footwear. But why?

WELL HEELED Shoes are an important part of a woman's wardrobe

I have a confession to make... shoes are my Achilles heel. No, no... I don't mean like Imelda Marcos — far from it. For, I don't collect them by the dozens nor do I possess different `styles' to go with salwars, saris or trousers. At any given point of time, I usually possess just one pair, which I team with just about every outfit. C; clearly, they're not the most important aspect of my wardrobe. And I had always believed I would happily go through life with my lone pair of `sensible' sneakers, until my daughter pointed out otherwise.

"Mummy," she asked me, wistfully eyeing a female, kitted out in ubercool clothes and accessories, "you know, all the women here wear such stylish shoes. Why do you only wear the same old boring trainers?" Of course, she wasn't the first person to pass such a disparaging remark on my shoe sense. Several women have, in the past, broadly hinted that I should perhaps abandon my flip-flops for something more respectable, especially when I wore a rich, woven sari. My answer, then and now, has always been fairly straightforward: "I prefer to have my knees and spine intact; my instinct for self-preservation far exceeds my fashion-quotient."

Besides, there should be somebody, isn't it, to disprove the guys' theory that all women have a love affair with their shoes.

But the guys are right. Women in general are willing to go through great penance just to stand tall. The vast majority of shoes (the word `shoes' is used rather loosely here and encompasses all manner of footwear ranging from flip-flops to patent leather wedges) seen in shoe shops would do very well in a medieval torture chamber. Some are just perfect to kill the feet, others cramp the calves while the rest sprain the spine. They don't come cheap either, costing anywhere between half to a full month's salary.

But — and I can't stress the point enough — women aren't fools; they obviously have a reason, several good ones in fact, to compensate for the sheer agony of standing on a tall, sharp heel all day long.

Shoe shopping is (said to be) highly cathartic and as a mood-enhancer, it has few rivals.

High-heels make even the stockiest leg look endlessly long and sexy.

Platform heels empower women, even the ones short on balance, to look every tall male in the eye.

Smart, stylish shoes impart more than just a spring in the step; they increase confidence levels manifold.

Hmm... whatever was I doing with my single pair of sensible sneakers, while there was an `endlessly long leg' waiting to be discovered? High-heels, here I come... only, I'm just wondering, would it be safer to wear a helmet and kneepads?

APARNA KARTHIKEYAN

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