I'm just gonna say it - boots are awesome. Though I much prefer warm weather, I look forward to the fall, when I can wear my boots every day. People kinda look at you funny when you wear them in the middle of an August heatwave, but I've done that too.
Right now, I've got a good excuse. I've lost a bunch of weight recently, and am still losing. I'm at that awesome-yet-annoying stage where nothing fits, but I don't want to spend a lot of money buying clothes that will (hopefully) soon be too big for me, too. Aside from that, I have a lot of difficulty finding pants that actually fit my proportions (that's a problem I've had whether I was a size 2 or a size 20) - let's just say certain assets stay with me. As a result, I wear dresses nearly every day, since there's a lot more versatility there. As the weather gets cooler, I can't just let my legs get cold, now, can I? So you see, I just have to wear boots every day.
Seriously, though, there is a much bigger reason. Boots are power. Boots are strength. Boots are confidence. Think about it. Xena. Lara Croft. Supergirl. She-Ra. Wonder Woman. What do these strong, powerful, confident women have in common? They all wear boots!
Years ago, during one of the many (but most meaningful) times I was losing weight (see that story here), my WW leader asked us to write on a card 3 goals that we wanted to achieve by the end of the year. The cards were mailed to us around the holidays, so we could see if we'd made it, and be re-motivated if we hadn't. One of my goals was to weigh XXX.X lbs. I don't remember what the number was, but I know it was .2lbs less than whatever weight my sister had been maintaining for a while (hey, I already admitted that I could be shallow). The second goal was to wear a particular size (again, I don't remember the number, but it isn't important anymore). My third goal was boots.
I'd always loved the look of knee-length boots, but I could never find a pair to actually close over my calves (back then, they didn't make all the extra wide ones like they do now). As the months went on, I reached both the weight and size that I wanted, but they didn't matter. I still couldn't zip a pair of boots over my calves. Week after week I went to various shoe stores filled with a mixture of hope and dread. Week after week I was crushed when it still didn't happen. I remember walking into Nine West, knowing that I would be disappointed again. I couldn't even look as I started to zip, waiting to get stuck along the way. I saw the hope in my husband's eyes as he watched, never giving up on me. Then suddenly, he smiled. His face lit up, and I couldn't understand why. Surely he knew how upset I was getting, since the zipper had stopped again ... but he was excited and happy. I looked down and saw why - the boots were closed! I had achieved my goal, and the boots actually fit. I bought 2 pair, and wore them every day through the rest of the winter.
To me, those boots represented more than just fashion. They were validation. They were success. They were proof positive that I had actually achieved my goal. If I could do that, my boots told me, I could do anything. If I was having a rough day, my boots comforted me through it. If I had an interview, my boots gave me the confidence to show that I deserved the job. If I was going to see someone who had been less than wonderful to me in the past, my boots gave me the strength to stand up tall and rise above it (even in the middle of the summer - they looked great with a miniskirt!).
In my boots, I am strong. In my boots, I am invincible. In my boots, there is nothing I can't do. This Buttahfly may soar, but on the ground, she wears boots.
If you like what you read, tell a friend! Actually, tell me too - post a comment below!! If not, well ... I'm all for honesty, but please be gentle!
