The superficial, yet necessary discussion of shoes: women of DC, what are we doing?!!?

I am currently engulfed in an embarrassingly shallow predicament: what shoes to wear. After being here over a week, I have noticed DC’s obnoxious shoe trend. These driven, brilliant people wear either flip-flops or hideous sneakers with their pencil skirts and dress pants while in commute to the office. Upon arriving to the office, there is a shoe switch: many change into high heels, confining their every step (yet making them taller, more powerful and more confident…right?). I am completely dumbfounded by this practice! Why do we buy shoes we can’t walk in (thanks to the abundance of escalators in DC, walking up stairs does not even need to be considered)? Do these constraining shoes truly professionalize us? In truth, I think this whole shoe switching practice is an outrage. It is completely demoralizing to have to change shoes while at work. What is wrong with wearing walk able shoes all the time?

The actual act of switching the shoes is difficult to pinpoint: time and place are everything. I struggled with this a couple times this week. Usually the practice is to change your shoes upon arriving at your office. However on Wednesday, and Thursday, I went directly to committee hearings, not to my office on K Street. On these days, do I make the switch BEFORE or AFTER I get into the congressional buildings? Difficult question, I know. To aleve all of this shoe stress, I offer a simple solution to the thousands of shoe switching professionals in DC: wear walkable, comfortable, and visually appealing shoes throughout the day (while working AND commuting). Good thing DC has a sinful amount of shoes store conveniently scattered all over the area.