So what exactly is the Scooby Doo? Many years ago, I was working with a woman who always wore heels and preferably open toe styles. This was because she refused to believe that she was a size 11 and only wore shoes that were size nine. Suffering from such a mental condition of being self-absorbed by a size resulted in her toes hanging over the end of the shoe. Miss Size Victim was in a position of power over me that she abused on a regular basis. One morning while lecturing my coworkers unnecessarily (she had recently painted her toes an orange/brown shade), I could not help but notice how much her toes looked like Scooby Doo's paws. I quickly whispered to my co-worker simply "Scooby Doo" while staring at her paws. This became a running joke with my colleagues and a whisper of "Scooby Doo" diffused many a stressful situation.
In my younger days, I often fell victim to a shoe sale and bought shoes that were too small because they were a bargain. After years of blisters, aches and calluses the thought of putting on a small shoe is terrifying. Living in New York, there is always a fresh crop of interns hitting the streets for long hours in painful footwear. This is an interesting social dilemma because at the opposite end of the spectrum is the wooly mammoth of shoe solutions, Uggs. Honestly, what is worse: a woman with a Scooby Doo or a woman in Uggs? I have no idea, so I consulted one of the chicest women that I know on the situation. She told me that as a young woman she too wore bear traps on her feet for fear of being unfashionable and after years of torture realized that inevitably she would take off her shoes to lounge by the pool only to find a pretzel of toes. In an effort to change her destiny, she began to buy shoes that were slightly larger and added additional support pads. She joked that her shoes were now a bit clunky and her stride a bit less nimble but never again was she afraid to pull off her shoes to enter a zen New York apartment or go for a stroll on the beach with friends.
Being a man, this whole scenario is slightly different for me. I don't suffer from the Scooby Doo effect but I do find myself needing additional attention for my feet both physically and cosmetically. A pedicure has now become more common than a haircut. Manhattan is filled with nail salons that are just as busy with men as with women... usually multi tasking by answering emails while others do the dirty work. Friends who move to New York and initially think that getting a pedicure is a feminine indulgence are now bragging about the best deal or what times are less busy at the local shop. There are still many men who choose to wear flip flops and expose the battle scars of city living but I hope this blog can be a call for change with both men and women. Wearing shoes that are comfortable and fashionable is not a lofty goal. Try going up a size and adding supports. Resist falling prey to a great sale but the wrong size. Take care of your feet or do the rest of us a favor and cover up if you don't have the time.
Now if you are wondering what ever became of the original Scooby Doo gal, another witch came to town and dropped a house on her to steal her ruby slippers. Like all relationships in life, good and bad can be taken away from people so I prefer to look at the bad as lessons. Stay tuned for the lessons of "flap jack..."