Let Yourself Shine

 

“When I slip into high heels now,

I can feel the transformation. 

I see my outfit go from “blah” to “ ta-da!”

I sense my butt lifting and my hips

slimming.  I can feel the confidence in

my shoulders and the sway in my steps.

I notice the difference in how I’m

perceived . . . [s]he means business.

But in knowing what high heels can do

for me,

I also understand why they can’t.

And the moment I kick them off,

I still feel just as tall.”

-Rachel Rosenblit in Elle US magazine (September 2010) 

While one of Disney’s most treasured films, Cinderella,  is indeed a fairy tale, it reveals a hidden secret about including heels in your wardrobe – wearing them really can change your life, if nothing else, the silhouette of a woman’s figure is slimmed in a very generous manner. While wearing them may not lead you to your prince, they do allow the strong confident woman that you are to be shared with the world without saying a word.

Rachel Rosenblit’s article “Short Story” shares some very valid points that I found myself being  in agreement with.  For many of you, her story of how she came to include wearing heels in her life will be a familiar one.

My story begins with a dress-up box full of  the silk and sequin gowns, strappy heels and pumps my mother had reserved for my playtime. Wearing them made me feel like what I thought a woman should feel (and still do) – glamorous, special, beautiful. Granted they didn’t fit me – I was swimming in them actually, but oh, how much fun I had. Then came high school and buying any shoe with a heel was special. Learning to walk in them was entertaining and even though it made me tower over most of the boys, I didn’t seem to mind. After all, I felt a bit more grown up.  Next was college. With what money I had, I was over the moon when I could afford a creative, fun strappy heel even if everyone else was wearing flats. A sense of added maturity was in each pair I wore, and I was all about being my own person, soon to have her first real job and an actual paycheck to live on.

A luxury in wearing heels is, for all practical purposes, that they truly add the extra pop that every outfit is looking for, your figure is elongated, your legs magically lengthen and your butt perks up, but the intrinsic value is that your confidence is allowed to shine even brighter. However, the simple wearing of heels can’t create something that isn’t already there, yet it can magnify the beauty that already exists.

Now, I accept that many woman are in jobs where wearing heels may not be plausible, but consider the option when going out on the town, enjoying a drink with a friend or attending your next social function. You might just be surprised at the attention and the breath-taking beauty that looks back at you in the mirror. Because you are beautiful, all woman are beautiful, we just need to remember to view ourselves that way and then others will believe it as well.

Now when I wear heels I wear them because I’m proud and thankful to be woman. A woman who is confident enough to know that I can afford my heels, but also a woman who knows she can wear her heels or her flats and still exude a quiet self-confidence that no one can take away.

Have a lovely and magically Monday whether you are still enjoying your weekend or beginning your work week. If you would like to share your story of how you came to include heels into your life, I would love to hear. Bonjour my friends.

 

Images: (1) Such a Grand Lifestyle (2) Diamonds in her Veins (3) la bella vita (4) Diamonds in Her Veins (5) Autumn Times (6) New York Magazine  (7) We Heart It