Friends with a shared shoe obsession?

[fabae]

How many of you have friends who totally understand your shoe obsession? My friends know about it, they comment on it, but they totally don't get it. I can't imagine that us shoe lovers are that few and far between! (I'm so glad I found this forum so I'm not in it alone!)

[Nemtynakht]

My friends all appreciate good shoes, but I only have one friend who understands and supports it. Truth be told, I often feel kind of bad when she and I talk about it together. It reminds me exactly how much time, money, and thought I put into shoes... that I don't put into other things.

[shoesense]

Um...I only have one who partially understands. And honestly, 10 years ago, I wouldn't have understood myself now either. Of course, now I remember my painfully inadequate shoe wardrobe of my youth with a shudder; basically, I didn't care much at all about my footwear, and if that meant I had to wear the same pair of (rather dull) black sandals day in and day out until they finally broke, so be it. The horror! My taste was also pretty conservative, so I was happy to have a pair of brown shoes and one of black shoes, say, for spring-summer and for fall-winter; other than that, I didn't care much. All in all, yeah, it was bad.

And now? I'm not sure why the change (other than some disposable income, I guess)--but I'm shoe obsessed. My husband can't understand it either. I was just having this conversation on the couch.

Me: (after just reading about 'Mr. Million' with his 550 pairs of shoes) So, how many shoes do you have?
Him: Counting the sneakers? And the boat shoes? (his go-to, errand shoes).
Me: (thinking) Leave out the sneaker, count the boat shoes.
Him: 18. 18 pair. Wait, do I count the slippers?
Me: No, no slippers.
Him: How about you? How many shoes do you have?
Me: (under my breath) Sixty.
Him: Excuse me? I didn't hear you.
Me: Um...
Him: At least I think I didn't hear you. I thought you said six-zero, sixty, and only an insane person would have that many shoes.
Me: I guess I'm an insane person.
Him: This is crazy. Unbelievable.
Me: (thinking to myself: It's actually about 70, plus slippers and sneakers, but he's not going to go there and count, is he? He won't, will he?) *mutter unintelligibly to myself*

So yeah, that's pretty much most people's attitudes regarding my shoe collection, and here I was, thinking I had the barest necessities!

At least, from what I see here, most people share my habits, and seem to have just as many shoes, so at least I feel more normal.

[fabae]

Oh my gosh, yeah, I totally feel that, despite the fact that I have 61 pairs of shoes (and two more on the way, good heavens!), they are the barest necessities. I used to be just like you were, Shoesense - a black pair and a brown pair. That was it. Then I slowly branching out and then it just got crazy. I'd put on a different outfit and think that none of the shoes I had quite went with it. Then I started noticing Carrie's shoes on Sex and the City and got too many ideas. And here I am with a ton of shoes, a ton more ideas, and friends who just shake their heads at me. Oddly, my husband has never said anything about my shoe collection....

[shoesense]

Yep, I'm afraid Carrie Bradshaw has had a heavy influence on the female viewers of the late nineties--and after that, it all exploded! I think she unleashed and consolidated my shoe addiction. And now I can never go back.

[jitterbugbaby]

Yeah, I have friends who like fashion and shoes well enough, but I don't think any of them really has the same "drive" to acquire shoes. My boyfriend certainly doesn't get it. He has... let me think... 6 pairs of shoes. And they're not quality either. I'm mystified by this. But then again, I think he's mystified by my 63 pairs (although that does include flip flops, sneakers, and slippers).

[jessielou]

Yes...I get the comments too. I have some friends who 'like shoes' but none for whom it is quite the full blown obsession. I feel no shame tho

[galligator]

Is anyone else getting tired of spammers trolling the forums?

[galligator]

Yay, jitterbugbaby got rid of most of the spam that hijacked everything!

[shoeguy2008]

i don't have any friends who are as obsessed with shoes as I am (my girlfriend likes shoes but isn't crazy about them) and it also doesn't help that I am a guy and guys aren't supposed to care about shoes :P