wacky wednesday - full circle #2?

I was four years old the first time I went to Disneyland. I was there with my parents, my older sister and my younger sister. While I have vivid memories of that trip to "the happiest place on earth," I did not pay much attention to the subject of this post - shoes. Except that I lost one of my shoes on the Jungle Cruise when the captain fired his gun at the alligators and I hid under my seat.

(October, 1960)

I am the girl with the lei - and no, I don't know why I had one. What strikes me about this photo is my mom's shoes. She had on high heels! We were dressed up. Everyone there was dressed up. And women had on heels.

I have been to Disneyland many, many times since that first visit and have noticed that what people wear, both clothing and shoes, has changed over time. In general, I think it has changed for the better.

Clothing has become more casual. For the past several decades, shorts or jeans and shirts are the order of the day. Styles change with the times but I seldom see anyone "dressed up" except for the occasional older Asian gentleman in a suit and tie.

Shoes also became more casual with the vast majority of people wearing tennis shoes (sneakers?) or more commonly now, flip flops.

Happy feet like comfortable, sensible shoes!

However, in the last five years or so I have noticed a trend among the younger women back to dressier shoes. This trend is only for the women though, guys still wear comfortable, sensible shoes. I have watched women tottering about in five-inch stiletto heels fall on the uneven surface of the paths. Some women actually limp along in very uncomfortable-looking shoes. By late afternoon it is common to watch these women shift their weight back and forth from one foot to the other as they wait in line. Pain is etched in their face.

It is not uncommon for the average Disneyland guest to walk a minimum of five miles a day. We have walked as much as 12 miles a day. None of these shoes (with the exception of the red tennis shoes the guy has on!) would be comfortable for that amount of walking.

It seems that we have come full circle in just 50 years or so. Women again choose fashion over comfort.