Step 1: Admit the Problem

I have a problem.

A serious problem.

It's a trophy-shoe problem.

I have become obsessed with trophy shoes since I moved to southern California. I blame Tanya, fellow osteopathic medical student, who is responsible for the term and concept of trophy shoes. If I see a regular priced particularly delightful pair, I will think about them for days, and odds are good that I'll find a way to buy them. If I see a delightful pair on clearance, I don't even think about it. They're mine.

I should know better.

I have, in my brief tenure as a med student, already studied the implications of trophy shoes on the foot. I know already that it's in my best interest not to sublux my sesamoids*. Does that stay my lust?

NEVAH.

It only intensifies it, as now I know that the wearing of trophy shoes carries with it an inherent risk. It makes me feel all the more like a badass. Like James Dean, except I'm not as likely to destroy myself with my fancy feet.

And the addiction builds. At the moment, I have 4 pairs of red patent leather shoes in my collection. One for every occasion: ballet flat, dansko clog for long days at work, high heel, and evening.

Amen.

These shoes are a gateway drug: I'm opening my mind to all the new trophy-shoe possibilities. I am currently entertaining a pair of the locally popular Steve Madden "tropical" shoes (which bear a fabric containing every color of the rainbow and then some. AWESOME).

Major problem: most shoes are peep-toe. Note: must take care to pedicure.

*One of the intrinsic muscles of the foot, namely the flexor hallucis brevis which partly controls flexion of the big toe, has embedded in its tendons two tiny bones called sesamoids. These bones provide a little extra oomph in structural integrity in an area under tremendous pressure. The wearing of high heels, especially those with a tapered toe-box, tends to force the sesamoids outward while forcing the big toe inward. Over time, this can cause complete detachment of the sesamoids (subluxation), and a permanent inward bend of the big toe which is what podiatrists call hallux valgus, or bunion.