How it is possible that I’m walking the streets of Paris in August, in white clunky Aviva sneakers? I bought them umpteen years ago at a time when part of the profit went to helping women in need.
Today, by design standards and quite possibly back then too, they would be considered dinosauric. Not a word? I like it – it describes them well.
I decided against hiking boots and that left all shoes fashionable in my closet (meaning uncomfortable and inappropriate for 16 hour walks). There were also my dance shoes, which are essentially designed for in-door workouts.
In a flurry to get out the door after a quick 40 minute pack, I realized that largely, I had uncomfortable shoes, so quickly grabbed the white eyesores on my way out the door to a waiting taxi.
Numerous days later, I’m in Paris in these monstrosities. I look down to see remnants of loud bright feet from the 1980s, which I also realized was a dead giveaway to my nationality.
After climbing too many hills to name or count in the towns of Bastia and Montmartre, the more fashionable choices fell to the bottom of the bag. Out came the ‘whites’ which have about as much beauty as a rat with the flu.
I told Henri, a sexy French man in his early forties that I was planning a ceremony of sorts before I left which involved tossing my ‘1980s whites’ into the river. “Le Seine,” he cried, half aghast and half uncertain whether I was telling the truth or not.
As much as I dreamed of doing exactly that, the guilt, the guilt, the guilt… Imagine polluting the Seine with ugly American designed sneakers from over two decades ago.
And so it was that I came to spend a fortune on impeccably well designed boots in France. My colleague who was with me said I walked out of the shop “transformed,” and he repeated the word. No grave surprise given how I felt walking out in a new pair of boots, with confidence and joy.
Through the Marais I marched, while the ‘whites’ remained behind, “to be donated,” the shop owner said. “Toss them in the Seine,” I kept thinking, although was relieved to not only be permanently parting ways with them, but that someone else would find a use for them and perhaps never notice or feel their outdated design.
As for me and the immediate transformation, its hard not to walk with style in Paris or frankly anywhere when you can.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
