Give A Girl The Right Shoes And She Can Conquer The World!

I went for an appointment with a podiatrist on Friday to discuss footwear.  Its been about 20yrs since I last wore orthopaedic shoes and I was quite anxious about the whole thing.



When I was approx 6yrs old, I started wearing shoe inserts to help support my ankles.  The problem was that I wore shoes out so quickly and my feet were changing with each growth spurt that in the end it was decided that orthopaedic was the way forward.  I started wearing the shoes along with a caliper when I was about 8.


I guess as a young child I didn't really think about it because as long as I could run around and play with my friends, I was happy.  It was only when I got older that it started affecting my confidence.


Becoming a teenager, its the next chapter in life.  You look more to the future, what you want to do when you leave school and its where you shape yourself as an individual, trying to fit in with your peers.


Wearing orthopaedic shoes and calipers, you start to become more aware of your image.  I was lucky that I had an understanding school who let me wear trousers and I had some good friends who accepted me for me.  In the pit of your stomach though, you always feel different.  Girly shopping trips into town were fun but as friends try on shoes to go with their outfits, you yearn to be able to do the same.


When I reached 15yrs old, I decided I wanted to be part of that and stopped wearing the shoes and caliper.  It wasn't the most intelligent thing to do but at that age there are so many changes surrounding you that you just want to fit in with everyone else.  I started dressing more girly, wearing make-up and my confidence just grew....


I never wore anything overly ridiculous... I think the maximum was a 2 inch heel and I always tried to wear shoes/boots that also supported my ankle...


Since my arthritis came out of remission, my feet have become quite sore so I mentioned it to my rheumatologist.  It seems I will need surgery on my big toe (which turns out was fused when I was 12) and I will need specialist footwear again...


Meeting the podiatrist on Friday... I got the feeling he wasn't that impressed with me running 5mins late.... Car parking was its usual nightmare!


We went into the consulting room and he checked over my feet.  Confirmed that I'd need some shoes made for me and presented me with a foam box..... pushing my feet into it, I could feel the small balls breaking beneath me as the shape of my foot moulded into the box...

My right foot looked ok... like a footprint in the sand.... beautifully defined from the big toe, curving round to the heel.  This foot has good movement in it, helped by the caliper that I wore as a child.


My left foot... well I'd say it looked more like a splodge in the sand.... the arch has completely gone, and there is no defining curve from toe to heel.  This is the foot thats causing me problems and is the one that will have the most help with the shoes.  Incidently, I didn't have a caliper with this foot....


The shoe will be made to measure so I won't have the usual rubbing, plus there will be an insole to push my foot into a more suitable position.


It was hard to take on board but I knew it was needed..... I had to put my fears aside from my previous shoes.... things would have changed........ surely.....


The podiatrist pushed the catalogue towards me and said I could choose any of the lace ups, and if I preferred velcro straps, these could be put on instead.


Looking down at the pages..... nothing had changed..... In the 20yrs since last wearing them, not a lot has changed.  


Orthopaedic shoes are still designed with 80yr olds in mind..... and even then, if you're an 80yr old female, you couldn't really wear a skirt or dress.  


I remember my Nan, bless her... She always dressed beautifully but even she said how disappointed she was with her orthopaedic shoes... you'd look at her face, soft make up, the twinkling in her eyes... you'd look at her outfit, a floral cotton blouse with colour coordinated skirt, sweeping out from her waist and then you'd see the shoes... big and clumpy.  She absolutely hated it, and completely understood how my femininity was snatched away from me....


So as I glanced over the pages, my heart sank... I was desperately trying to think of what I could wear with these shoes, what outfit could possibly go with any of these shoes......


http://www.kenwardorthopaedic.co.uk/womens-orthopaedic-shoes.asp


Resigning myself to the fact that I'd need to be wearing these shoes 90% of the time, they needed to be something that wouldn't be hidden at the back of the wardrobe after the first month.


So in the end I decided to go for these......

trainer style shoes in dark blue with white stripe....










The podiatrist confirmed that I would be contacted when they were half done so I could have a 'dress rehearsal', check they were all ok...


Getting back to my car, I sat and cried.... I felt frumpy..... I felt like I had just given up being a woman.  


I can't understand why shoes can't be designed with more variety.  There does seem to be companies out there who will do bespoke orthopaedic shoes, but I'm not sure of costs.  Just like the NHS overhauled their menus with Loyd Grossman, why can't they overhaul their shoe designs.  


Surely they must realise that just having a disability can rob you of your self esteem, but if they were to give you shoes that were just as good on the eye as they were on the disability, people would feel more comfortable wearing them.


As the title says..... give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world!