Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

Finally, that old pair of shoes has been laid to rest. Born an orphan in some unknown factory in an unknown location the shoes were purchased in Seattle Washington by Maria at the Payless shoe adoption agency-store. It wasn't exactly love at first sight. Maria was starting a new job and decided to purchase the least expensive pair of black shoes on her credit card, however she is Shoes' only surviving family. Shoes was always too something. Too trendy, slightly oddly shaped. So fashion conscious they weren't fashionable. Sassy with a full 2 in heel, they felt good to take off after work. Their only redemption in Maria's mind was the fact that they were cheap, a point that was cited frequently.

New life was breathed into Shoes when her owner's one pair of sneakers wore out and for two months she wasn't able to find a pair she liked. Moving away from the city, this pair of heeled shoes found herself hiking down nature trails, kicking soccer balls and walking across miles of pavement. Suddenly she was taken on dates.

For a brief and glorious period at the end of her life she was able to escape her limitations as a fashion "don't" and live an extraordinary life far beyond the expectations of many normal work shoes or boots. When Maria finally did find herself a pair of sneakers she liked she was thrilled but found herself a full two inches shorter. At this point Shoes were worn and tired after a life full of adventure and peacefully passed on.