So summer is swiftly approaching. The heat will of course cause a large shift in the way bodies are covered. Shorter and shorter skirts, barely there shorts, sleeveless tops and if your really hot, just bikinis all day! This of course horrifies the conservative sector of society that prefers woman cover up for moral reason. I however am concerned with a very specific body part that suddenly gets over exposed. FEET.
They are everywhere. There are flip-flops, peep-toe heals, strappy sandals and more, all overly exposing the foot to the population. I recognize this is not generally considered a big deal. I’m sure members of the foot fetish society community love this time of year. As for me, it is dreadful.
Here is why. All winter I had the luxury of socks and boots, fully protecting my feet from the public view. Now I have the added hassle of constantly preparing my feet for society. Painting my nails, making sure my heels and toes have lotion at all times, and making sure they have a generally attractive appearance. No one told me explicitly that I need to put the extra effort toward my toes. Yet I know, from the sexy models with the perfect feet in the DSW and Payless commercials. Every single one has toes painted with wonderfully bright colors, their toes fit perfectly in the shoe as if the designer tailored the shoe for that specific foot. Meanwhile, I have to pull of the same strappy sandal with my imperfect feet. This may just be a personal dilemma, but I’m certain I’m not the only one who has noticed how even the barely noticed parts of our bodies have been subjected to socially constructed norms.
Unruly Bodies 
My first job was at Sears, working in the shoe department when I was 15, and over the years I’ve often found myself circling back to footwear retail. If there is anything that will get you over your own feet’s imperfections, it’s seeing many different feet every day!
In class we’ve been talking about the body and it’s utility and labor. Well, if our feet are what hold us up, how can we expect them to be soft and perfect looking? We put out feet through the harshest treatment every day, stomping around, kicking things, just expecting them to keep our balance and hold us up.
Our feet are our most utilitarian parts, but they are also some of the most delicate. We have more bones in our feet than any other part of our body and they do some of our most daily, heavy lifting.. It’s an interesting contrast to think about.
I never thought about feet this way before; that they have to look beautiful, soft, glamorous…reading this post things make a little more sense to me concerning when I told someone I had never gotten a pedicure. The general reactions in the room were of shock. I did’t consider myself abnormal for never receiving a pedicure; they weren’t (and still aren’t!) on my list of things to spend money on and they definitely weren’t on my parents list of what a child or teenager needs.
It seems that according to mainstream beauty standards, feet need to have a certain caliber of beauty and if you don’t meet the criteria you should immediately rectify the situation. After discovering how “abnormal” it was that I have never received a pedicure and with no plans of receiving one in the future, I began to feel uncomfortable about the state of my feet. I made sure they’re in good condition (no gross toenails, etc.) but anything beyond that? Never would have come to my mind.
Now I put nail polish on my toes and check compulsively to make sure it hasn’t chipped. In my mind, it’s just so silly; as Kelly pointed out, we rely on our feet as one of the most important parts of our body. Honestly, they just need to be able to function properly. Making sure our feet are “pretty” or look good should just be a personal choice rather than a societal standard.