A Special Thanks to the Older Lady Wearing the “Got Beer?” T-Shirt

July 13, 2009 by Alison
Filed under Alison's Blog, Beauty & Style, Personal Growth

Every year on my birthday, I can’t help but wonder if my look and style are still appropriate for my age. I ask myself questions like “Do I need to cut off my long hair? Am I looking haggy? Can I still wear sexy clothing? If I put glitter on my face for a party, will I look like the old person who is trying too hard to be cool?”

This year, I came to the realization that my concerns are unfounded. Anything can go at any age, as long as you have the attitude to pull it off. And I have this woman below to thank for my revelation. She has to be at least 60 years old and here she is, running errands in a t-shirt that I haven’t seen since college. I want to thank this woman because she reminds us that we are never too old to show our flair for fashion and our love of alcohol. And we are never too old to ask the truly important question “Got beer anyone?” Copyright © 2009 Alison James

gotbeer

gotbeer21

Tags: Got beer? age appropriate, old lady

I’m Pretty Sure Male Shoe Designers Hate Us

June 15, 2009 by Alison
Filed under Alison's Blog, Beauty & Style, Fashion

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Sometimes I feel like (a.) shoes must be designed exclusively by men and (b.) those men hate us. I just can’t figure out why every pair of shoes I buy hurts like hell. Even the shoes that cost a decent amount of money hurt my feet. How hard can it be for designers, shoe companies, SOMEONE…ANYONE to create a shoe out of material that doesn’t cause excruciating pain? It can’t be that hard, right? So, I wrote this letter on behalf of all the women out there like me who spend their life limping around town. If I don’t get a response, I think we should all start sending these guys photos of our messed up feet.

Dear Mr. Shoe Designer (this means you Mr. Blahnik, Mr. Cole, Mr. Choo, Mr. Dior, Mr. Kors, Mr. Weitzman as well as both of you Mr. Dolce & Mr. Gabbana…and of course you, Mr. Payless),

You have probably already figured out that women love shoes of all sizes, shapes, colors, and persuasions. But quite frankly, we don’t love you very much right now. Because your shoes are ripping our feet to shreds! By the end of each day, we are in so much foot pain that we feel like we need to take a trip to the emergency room. We are keeping Johnson & Johnson in business, buying boxes of Band-Aids and cases of Neosporin.

Your shoes keep us in an awkward limp for most of our adult lives. And maybe that’s exactly where you want us. Maybe you are a little sadistic, or you want to see us barefoot and pregnant again. I don’t know what your motive is. But if you are trying to create sexy shoes that sell, let me remind you that there is nothing sexy about toe paralysis, Mr. Shoe Designer. Really, there’s not.

We aren’t asking you to ditch style for comfort and start making moon boots with heels or orthopedic shoes in a variety of shades of gray. We just want to wear something on our feet that doesn’t put us at risk for gangrene. Is that too much to ask?

We don’t see men hobbling up and down the street in their shoes, so we know you have it in you to make a product we can wear. I have a novel idea: Why don’t you hire women to WALK in the shoes before you sell them? If your testers don’t return and you find them lying in a heap on the sidewalk with their feet wrapped in gauze, that’s a little indication that you need to consider a redesign.

That’s all I have to say for now, Mr. Shoe Designer. But you will be hearing from me again, next time after I’ve been dancing for six hours at a wedding. Because you deserve inspired letters that are written straight from the heart.

Thank you for your time.

shoemontage