photo from Cosmo
The quest for the perfect shoe is a journey almost every woman embarks on at least once in her life. But more often than not, women are on the search for the perfect black pump, the perfect red heel, the perfect Louboutin, the perfect wedge, the list of “the perfect shoe” is endless. Women need the right shoe for every occasion. A shoe can make or break an outfit. But the affect of shoes goes deeper than that.
Finding the perfect shoe has been hyper-fantasized by the fairy tale story of the Disney classic, Cinderella. A shoe can make or break your love life. And your sex life. Although the foot is not the most seductive part of our bodies, research shows a strong connection between sexual arousal and feet. The author of “The Brain of Love,” Dr. Daniel Amen, uses science to prove the association between feet and sex. “The area of the brain that communicates with the genitals is right next to the area that deals with the feet,” Dr. Amen told Cosmo. “These regions share neural crosstalk, which may be why shoes can be erotic.” This may come as a relief to women all around the world. Or rather a justification for the thousands of dollars we spend on pedicures and designer shoes. But if the science isn’t convincing you then surely the ultimate female bible, Sex and the City, will do the trick.
“La Douleur Exquise!” episode 12, season 2 chronicles the male foot fetish. Charlotte befriends a shoe salesman who relishes in fitting her feet in shoes. He tells her she has the perfect feet. But what about all of the ladies that don’t have the perfect feet?
Cinderella
Have no fear; the dawn of the 21st century will solve all of your foot problems. Podiatrist Dr. Ali Sadrieh invented the “Cinderella Treatment” that will transform your feet so that you are always putting your best foot forward. He has created a system of ideal measurements to give you the perfect foot. Depending on your foot’s needs, the “Cinderella Treatment” can include a range of cosmetic procedures including toe-shortening or toe-lengthening, a bunionplasty, and maybe even a fat-pad augmentation that Dr. Sadrieh says helps with high heels, making them more comfortable to stand in. Many plastic surgeons are now offering these procedures. While it may seems shallow and a waste of money, foot altering is now a new concept.
Fashion is infamous for recycling ideas and trends. So it may be more natural than you would like to believe for foot altering procedures to filter into American culture. For over ten centuries Chinese women methodically broke and reshaped their feet to resemble the “ideal foot.” By the rise of the Qing Dynasty every girl who wanted to get married was binding her feet.
“No pain no gain” has become synonymous with achieving the ideal female aesthetics in our pop culture. Whether you like it or not our culture almost demands appearance-altering procedures, they may not all require a scalpel and anesthesia, but almost every woman religiously alters herself in some way to be more beautiful. So next time you’re strolling through the Neiman’s shoe department looking for that perfect shoe, maybe what you should really be looking for is the perfect foot.
Beyond the Boulevard 