the sneaker wedge– let’s fight about it

Love them or hate them, sneaker wedges are a current trend. They’ll be around for a bit, so my plan is to buy as many as I can. I think most people may be drawn to the comfort aspect over the visual appeal. Not me, I am so in love with the lift it gives your leg, elongating your silhouette, while still being sporty. But don’t me me wrong, they are tremendously comfortable– and perfect for going out in the city when you’ll be walking a lot.

I realize that most people don’t think the sneaker wedge is visually appealing at all. Isabel Wilkinshon from The Fashion Beast thinks they are “the trickle-down effect of a larger trend that favors ‘ugly-cute,’ an aesthetic that prizes hard-edged masculinity over the prim and proper.” That may very well be the case. What do you think? Is it the tomboyish flare that causes some to love it and some to hate it?

I’m so sick and tired of the modern day foot binding that women put themselves through. Let’s face it, it isn’t good for your feet to wear high stilettos day in and day out. For me, the sneaker wedge let’s me add a little lift to an outfit while still being comfortable. I don’t have to be in pain to be beautiful. What kinda nonsense is that? Seriously. Whoever came up with the idea that it hurts to be beautiful needs to rethink their life. I want to live in a world where beauty has many different faces, but it never comes from pointlessly torturing yourself. Get with it already, America. Let’s let beauty come from a place inside ourselves where we know who we are and we’re comfortable and content.

In the photos above, I’m wearing a pair of Nike Dunk Ski Hi’s. I purchased them in Boston at the coolest sneaker shop around, Bodega. (The bright neon dress is from Topshop, necklace from Anthropologie, ring and bracelet from Ann Taylor, and a bracelet engraved with a map of the Chicago train system.) The last photo is a neon light instillation by Tracey Emin that reads, “With you I breathe.” Let’s let our beauty and fashion sense come from a spirit of fun and self-contentment that let’s people relax around us and want to drink in the neon.