Exit Stage Left

As I think I've mentioned before I'm a VERY plain girl. I once described myself as boring and was corrected in favor of the less-defacing "simple." I still think I'm just boring. I could happily live out the rest of my days in jeans and a t-shirt, but I do manage to clean myself up pretty well when I have to. Luckily my work allows me to mostly wear whatever I want, unless there's an event or meeting which requires me to dress like a grown up, "dress to impress," so to speak. Such was the case today.

When I "dress up" it usually means a pair of slacks, rather than khaki's or jeans, and a sweater or button up shirt instead of a t-shirt; it's not like I'm donning a suit, or anything. Today I tossed on a cute scoop-neck sweater and black slacks with fishnet tights and a pair of flat dress shoes. The shoes were of the hard-soled variety, the kind that click when you walk. I think I've worn these particular shoes on just two other occasions, as they slip slightly on my heels. Anyhow... aside from the fact that I actually fell on my face on my walk to lunch today (damn slippery tiles on the 16th Street Mall) I felt like a million bucks. I was having one of those rare days when you look in the mirror and actually like what you see.

One of the things I've noticed is that on those occasions when I wear heels I feel more confident about myself. I hold my head up higher and I glide with a grace that I just don't have in my Birkenstocks or tennis shoes. I've never really been able to pin down whether this was a direct result of the added height or what, but today it dawned on me from whence the confidence stems: it's because they click when I walk. Even though today I had on boring flats I felt that same confidence that usually only appears when I'm in a pair of shoes that have a significant heel. Maybe this sounds strange, even stupid, but if something as simple as a pair of shoes can improve my self-esteem then I have to ask the question: why not dress to impress myself for a change?