Surgical Cinderella
As of today, the most expensive shoes costs a whooping $2 million—the Cinderella slippers by Stuart Weitzman. From the name itself, the Cinderella slippers is studded with diamonds—565 platinum set of Kwiat diamonds that include diamonds of 55 carats and a big five- carat stone. However, the Cinderella slippers is now being displayed in Beverly Hills, California. This information bothers me and makes me wonder why shoes should be as expensive as that. It makes me further question why women are so fascinated with expensive shoes.
Worse, they spend a lot of their money on shoes but just display them most of the time. In an article published in the New York Times last December 2003 by Gardiner Harris, the issue on feet operation was tackled. The article entitled “If Shoe Won’t Fit, Fix the Foot? Popular Surgery Raises Concern”, Harris explores the pros and cons of foot surgery that is popular among women today. To wear high-heeled shoes such as stilettos with no hassles—this is the women’s motivation to undergo such operation.
The surgery is condemned by some orthopedics and feet specialists due to the side effects it might bring to the patient. Advocates of the operation, on the other hand, defends their position through explaining the positive effects of wearing high-heeled shoes bring to their lives. While antagonists of the surgery are concerns more its effect on the health of the patient, its supporters focus on its good psychological and social effects, particularly on women’s self- esteem. The surgery involves various kinds of operation.
Cutting and shortening of the toes and injecting collagen into the feet’s balls are some of the most common procedures. For me, these operations are just the same as other corrective or cosmetic surgery. All of them have the same requirements and reasons. It requires a lot of money to improve one’s appearance and self-esteem. What I do not like about the operation is the risks it might bring to the patients. When nose operation and feet operation are to be compared, the latter can bring larger and more threatening consequences.
Nose lifts, if fails, would largely affect the patient, but in a less serious manner. It would probably affect only the patient’s physical appearance, such as the appearance of nose distortions that can be easily fixed nowadays. However, if a feet surgery would fail, the effect would be more serious and threatening. The article mentioned that the foot is composed of complexly- arranged muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments that support thousand of pounds of pressure when walking per mile. Failure in this operation would suggest crippling as the worst consequence.
If feet surgery is to be compared then to other corrective or cosmetic operations that are far more threatening— such as liposuction—feet surgery is still prone to incidences of danger and side effects even at the sight of a successful operation. Being exposed to this, feet surgery would not be the right thing for me. The side effects of the operation, when failed, are too ominous. Imagine life being dependent on a wheelchair. Because of such operation, the dream of wearing walking down the streets with the most beautiful stilettos might become a dream and a fantasy forever.
Instead of walking with these wonderful shoes, one may not or cannot walk at all. Although I refrain to sound pessimistic, I do think that all operations are not one hundred percent perfect and safe; neither do I think that there is a thing such as perfect. In addition, feet surgery would not be in- line with my perspective regarding corrective and cosmetic surgeries. I personally believe that human operations and works alike are not following the natural way of life. Naturally, the feet’s purpose is to give the body a support to its own weight.
If one would undergo feet surgery, this natural purpose of the feet would be destroyed. Cutting one’s toes for the simple reason of wanting to be fashionable is a pathetic and a shallow reason. Women thinking in this way are showing their incapacity to deeply understanding themselves as a woman. I do believe that a woman should not follow the stereotypes her society is dictating. Wearing stilettos is one of these stereotypes that suggest that women can only be seen attractive when wearing and walking with high-heeled shoes.
Why women cannot escape from the cages of these stereotypes? The society is just the one dictating them the criteria of being beautiful and attractive. Following the society’s whims would cause no good for women. Of course, there still are ways in how to say and prove women’s beauty. There is always a room for possibilities. In this case, it should not be the dangerous way. Being natural and true to own values can show more a woman’s beauty, not just in the outside, but in the inside most importantly.
After reading both the articles on feet surgery and the $2 million Cinderella’s slippers, I was able to formulate a theory explaining why the glass slippers only fit with Cinderella’s feet. It is because Cinderella was the first one to ever try feet surgery, making her feet too small and fit perfectly with the shoes. Nowadays, there are thousands of surgical Cinderellas all over the world. These Cinderellas, sadly, still pathetically believe that their happy endings solely rely by fitting and wearing the glass shoes. Work Cited Harris, Gardiner. If Shoe Won’t Fit, Fix the Foot? Popular Surgery Raises Concern. New York Times. 7 December 2003.
