A couple of days back, I read about how the first question an actress tries to answer about a new character is "What kind of shoes does she wear?" Once she knows that, the rest of the character just falls into place for her.An indulgent smile was my first reaction to that. I had just bought a pair or sparkly silver shoes that I had worn to work every day for the past couple of days. A collegue infomed me they looked like Cinderella's shoes, and I couldn't disagree. They definitely 'looked' like a fragile pair of shoes that one would wear to a ball. The shoes were showy, almost bordering on obstentatition, and they were definitely not 'Me'.
And yet, they were 'me', because despite their looks, the shoes were high on comfort. They were flat heeled, canvas shoes, perfect for running to catch a train, and for trudge home in. The shoes perfectly complimente my no-nonsense knapsack- only, they do not look as though they do.
Do you think the shoes that a person wears describes the kind of person she is? When writing a character, do you think of the shoes she would wear? I know I don't, but it would be nice to know if someone else does.
6 comments:
I don't either... I'm very much a no-nonsense rucksack wearer myself. Still, I think I understand why the actress thinks the shoes tells her something about her character.. After all, shoes do say something about who we are... or want to be.
LOVE the shoes! And I am a HUGE fan of silver shoes--particularly silver sandals (not high, but I like them strappy--thin lines, preferably at interesting angles). That sort of goes with the nudist, but not the statistician.
At work though, I have half a dozen pairs of practical shoes waiting, since what I ACTUALLY wear day in and day out is my sneakers (being sneaky... )--actually, being a serious WALKER. Even today, I have sneakers outfitted with Yak Tracks so I don't fall in the snow.
I love shoes, but the shoes I crave don't go with my lifestyle! I need the lifestyle to fit the shoes!
Bless that actress who figures out her character by figuring out what kind of shoes she wears, but for me I always went by the credo I learned in theatre school: "What do I say? What do I say about others? What do others say about me?" Inside to outside. Not outside to inside. Appearances, after all, can be deceiving.
Elspeth
@ Fiona - I did think you were the rucksack kind of person too! So much more convenient for carting around the continent, don't you think?
@ Tami - I love the idea of your favourite shoes, but knowing me and my lifestyle, I can but dream of them. And I too would live in sneakers if I could. Since I can't, I restrict myself to flats.
@ Elspeth - you said it. My shoes match my lifestyle- they may not be what I would like to wear in a dream world where shoes were purely ornamental.
And I totally read you on the inside to out bit - that is how I approach people too.
Ah- shoes and feet, not my favourite topic, as I have wide 'flippers' which make pretty footwear just a dream. But,and this is an important but- my beautiful feet carry me wherever I have to go, so I'm kind to them and wear only comfortable stuff 95% of the time.
@ dipali - that describes me - at least the 95% bit does. My problem is not that my feet are wide, but they are veiny and not pretty.
But you do get pretty shoes high on comfort these days, so not cribbing too much.
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