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FOOT FETISH

Vir Sanghvi’s The Cult of the Red Sole, reminded me of a humbling encounter I had with my wife during a recent shopping trip (Apr 20).

Being the pragmatic and often disputed head of the household, I questioned the reasoning behind my wife’s purchase of a pair of designer shoes. Surely, there must be some defensible reason why an intelligent woman would tank an exorbitant amount of money on shoes that would probably serve a better purpose in our home’s curio cabinet rather than on my wife’s feet.

I innocently asked my wife one simple question: “Does the price of the shoe increase with the height of the heel or factor of comfort?” My wife shot a sharp glance at me, and replied, “Dear, my answer is no. This is the greatest inverse relationship of all — these expensive shoes having nothing to do with anything you can make sense of! Women wear these shoes because we feel good in them. Simple as that.” And then came the dagger: “How much was that set of Titleist golf clubs again?”

I knew better than to ask anything more. - Manish Aggarwal (by email)

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Mind games?


Deep down in a hypochondriac’s mind is a virtual fear of illness (Oh Doctor, I’m in Trouble, Apr 13). No one wants to be tagged a hypochondriac, but a little sensitivity and empathy helps. Family and friends should recognise that the issue is far more serious and the person requires professional help. Look around, you will observe that the issue is not limited to hypochondriacs; the normal person is vulnerable too. Having easy access to medical information, even the normal person can’t help but worry. A medical awareness campaign may sometime even augment the fear in our mind — is the cough just a cold… or could it be tuberculosis? A healthy body will have its share of aches, but candour and sensibility will keep worry at bay. - Premath Menezes, by email

Overrated


The Cult of the Red Sole was a fantastic article depicting women’s craze for shoes (Apr 13). I consider the Red Soles a little too overrated. And I think that applies to Louboutin’s personality as well. Of course, he seems like a serious man but Vir Sanghvi has described the designer in perfection. Men have no particular enjoyment in showing off their branded clothes or shoes. Women, however, just love making other women jealous. Which of these designers need advertising? None, because the women do it for them. And the best part is that they do it for free. - Thenuga Priyadharshini, 
Abu Dhabi

Video Goons

Bikram Vohra’s article on video weddings was a good read (No, no, not for you… Move, please, Apr 6). Most weddings having videographers can be really annoying for the guests because it doesn’t take long for these people to change from directors to dictators. They go around the scene with cameras that look like machine guns in the hands of Rambo. Unfortunately, every guest is eventually ‘shot’ at the scene, either by the gun or by the camera! - Deepayan Roy, Sharjah

Picture Perfect


Beauty is very subjective (How Much do You Hate ‘You’?, Apr 6). Why not go for true self-acceptance instead? That is, accepting yourself fully for the person you are... There is no good finding solace in escapism. Confidence lies in acknowledging physical flaws. After all, beauty is not the appearance of someone, but it is their personality and how they are on the inside, as well as how good they are at heart. - Arva Abbasi, Ajman