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If piercing your belly button is a pain in the neck you missed the target by a bunch! 😁

We have indeed wandered far from the beaten path! And I’m gonna continue wandering for just a bit. About mlroseplant’s inclination to get a belly button piercing - for some reason, I’ve long been fascinated with the notion of an earring or earrings. Now obviously, that one would be impossible to keep a secret for long, but the notion endures. And the aforementioned nail tech, and my massage therapist (and dear friend,) have, unsolicited, both fueled that small flame 🙂 Now, whether painted nails, leggings, belly button rings, earrings, whatever - I’m a (retired) engineer with not a notion of understanding the inner workings of the human mind, but this conversation about quietly stepping out of the traditional boxes brings to mind a quip I’ve heard attributed to the late, famous Will Rogers, “Oklahomans will vote dry as long as they can stagger to the polls.” Regards, Logjam

I drive in heels all the time. No problem with that. Since I normally do not wear stilettos but block or stacked heels, it doesn't present a problem with me. Yesterday for example I wore a pair of small 3-1/2 " block heel , loafer pumps to church, then went out in the afternoon wearing a pair of black knee boots with 3-1/2" stacked heels. a pink skort above the knee, with a black polo shirt with a pink Breast Cancer Awareness logo on it. Got a couple compliments on my ensemble while I was out doing some Sunday shopping. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Same. But in reading your comment the idea suddenly came to me that if I got my bike out of storage, I could put on my heels and pedal up the towpath to a place where I could go for a stroll and get in some real world practice. Not cycling in heels for thrills, but for a practical reason.

Not my thing, but I appreciate the skill!

Cycling in heels is very comfortable because it's basically the same as cyling without heels, as only the front part of the feet touch the pedals. But the same as for driving a car: I wouldn't choose heels for the thrills, it's just more practical to keep them on. I also once had a rental which didn't feel that good in heels. But it might have also been in flats as well...

That’s true, there is little in the way of genuinely high heels unless you are paying Louboutin prices. I quite like mid heel boots but even there, I’m seeing where mid heel is now reckoned to be about two inches, or 5cm, and “high” heels are 7cm. i would want 8cm at least for my mid heel boots but they are rare and tend to be pretty ugly when I do see some.

As promised here is a cropped picture of them...

To answer your question… whether it be getting a belly-button piercing or shaving a huge portion of your body, despite it not being seen by others there is a very tangible benefit… you see it. That in and of itself is self-care. But that need not be in and of itself. For instance, I shave from the neck down, which is a secret no one really knows about me. But there is more to it than just disliking body hair. I like how it makes me feel cooler in the summer, and how shaving greatly reduces body odor. It takes some time to accomplish, but a reality is, once its shaven it takes very little time to keep shaving. For me, all that is worth doing and even if no one sees that, it still has tangible benefits. I am by no means trying to convince you to get a belly-button piercing at all here, but that too can have self-care properties to it with no need to show it off. Myself personally, I have a HUGE interest in integrity, which is following through with what I say I am going to do. So for me, if I had deemed that was something I would do after obtaining a flat stomach (a lofty accomplishment by the way), I would feel less about myself for not following through with the rest of it. But that is me, and only me; I have a huge amount of self-discipline. It is called second-order thinking. If I declare to myself I am going to pierce my belly button, and then don’t, it makes it easier to not go through with further declarations down the road. No… I will do it. I might not keep it pierced, but I will do what I said I would do. But that is just me, I want to be true to myself which has an inverse action to it as well. I won't lightly make a declaration like that from the start because I will have to do what I say I will do. But I suspect men who do secretive things do so for their own well-being. Some wear panties. Some paint their toes a bright color. Some wear leggings… all manner of things that make them feel good, and not to show others. I don’t fault men who say, ‘but why not show off what you do and to heck with what others think’, and to those I have great respect. But I also understand men who like doing or wearing something no one knows about too. They don’t have a need to rebel against societal norms openly, but they are doing it only for themselves. And that's the great thing about this thread, we realize statistically a lot of men are not cookie-cutter men... and that is a VERY good thing.

Funny, even though I have said elsewhere that I get no thrill from it, I just drove in heels yesterday--twice! I don't even really think about it, unless I have a long way to go. It did occur to me that I gained my dislike of driving in heels during the time I owned a particular car, which I no longer have. For some reason, that car had your feet at such an angle that I really did notice if I was wearing heels. With my present car, I really don't think about it much.

Part of it is, I've been working more than I would like, but I still somehow manage to have time to come on here and comment. The other part of it is, like @Cali says, I just haven't really seen anything like I like. Specifically, the stuff I like is not high enough. I see plenty of stuff that looks cool. I see some stuff that looks absolutely beautiful. The problem is, it seems to be all mid-heels (or what is a mid-heel to me). I'm not going to buy yet another pair of shoes anymore unless the heels are 4 1/2"+ (11 cm). There isn't that much out there in that category that is not hundreds of dollars.

As long as we're off the subject (and I don't think anybody objects), in my boring adulthood, I've pretty much given up on the secret stuff, and it's why I'm not keeping a promise I made to myself several years ago. I told myself that as soon as I got my flat stomach back, I was going to get my belly button pierced. For a number of years, I felt very certain I was not going to ever have to worry about making that decision. Within the last several months, for reasons I don't fully understand, that time is now. However, I'm not going to do it for three reasons: 1) My wife would kill me. 2)I'm already tired of shaving as much as I do, and don't really want to add in another large region of my body. 3) What am I, at age 57, (make that age 58--winter is almost here) going to start wearing crop tops all the time? If I didn't show it off, what would the point be? I understand having secrets, but I don't understand having that sort of secret. It seems like it would be a pain in the neck for nothing.

I think you miss the point. If stopped for any reason (realistic or not) by the police (e.g. manner of driving; speeding etc), an officer will usually check both the vehicle (tyres etc) and the driver (drink/drugs?). Any unusual footwear or clothing, if seen, is likely to excite his interest if it suggests in his opinion some 'impairment of control', or worse. But the principal situation would be police involvement after some type of accident, whether or not involving a third party - in which case any evidence of possible impairment will be noted. I did not, and do not, suggest that simply being observed driving whilst wearing heels is likely to lead to any form of report, charge or prosecution. Of course it won't, unless it clearly constitutes some danger in itself or is said to have been potentially contributory to one. I suggest we leave it there; further speculation has little merit and the only opinion that really matters is that of a police officer on the spot.

Silly perhaps, but just because it is not something you might do, does not mean a person cannot appreciate the skill, bravery and determination that it takes to take a hobby to the next level. As an example, while you love being on a canal boat, do you not appreciate the beautiful lines of a well crafted wooden kayak? A handsome barrque breaking through heavy rollers? A bateau laid up with striking planking? as it scoots down whitewater? There is complaints on here of people no longer wearing high heels because it is inconvenient and challenging to wear, yet this woman is not only slacklining in high heels, but jumping in them... on a slackline... and balancing upon a series of soda cans. It may not be skills any of us necessarily need to enjoy our lives wearing high heels, but I can appreciate the skill and determination she has in being able to do it.

Well, there is no reason why you should not be content with what you currently have for shoes. You seem to really do well pairing them up with your other clothing to make combinations that really work. For my wife and I who dress well most times too, it is always great to see others who put some considerable thought into how they dress. With what you share on here, you certainly do that. I am always impressed! Or do you feel like you are just in a funk and everything just feels “off”? It certainly is a personal question you do not have to answer. I’m struggling lately. I am not upset, just caught in the middle right now. Everything is changing for us as this week we are moving from a big Victorian home on a river, to a tiny house on a distant island in the ocean. The wife and I are both changing jobs and with so much downsizing there is little point to buy clothes for the tiny closets we will soon have. A lot of what we have must be thrown out or given away as we just don't have the space. It's good, it needed to be done, just a lot of changing. Normally I pour myself into my writing at times like this, but I just finished up a really good novel, so anything I start seems to be lackluster. But I know, soon all this will pass… If that is the case for you, I hope too it will also pass.

You probably are right on the percentage. It is almost ironic that everyone craves to be different in life, and yet so many do the same old thing as everyone else. In that regard I am guilty just as much as anyone else. Sooooooo... to have colored toes where no one can see? Whether a married man who has a wife who does not care, or perhaps the man lives alone, or just does not care who sees... yes, perhaps the percentage is even higher. Adulthood is boring, so I could see men loving having a little secret... painted toes. A case in point is myself. As I have said many times on here, I wear leggings a lot because of the comfort level of them. I won't go to Walmart wearing them, but around the house I do. Well an emergency arose so I had to go see my neighbor, and with no time to change, I was at his house wearing my leggings. I was little apprehensive about it, but it was a full-on emergency with no time to change. To my surprise he came out of his house wearing leggings too. It is why I love statistics. 15% of men fully shave. 5-15% of men paint their toes. 66% of men shave a personal part of themselves. 47% of men have tried on clothing traditionally worn by a lady. It all paints a picture that men are more open-minded than what is openly revealed.

I have taken the photo and made it a bit brighter, cropped out the lady in question, and made the photo bigger and it seems to me the boots look as if they are all-in one, from stiletto tips to chest. I would think such shoes would be impractical as if my wife had these, as where would she wear them and how many times? And could she get boots that must fit properly on so many points on her body that they could even be worn? But I suppose in making a statement, these boots would certainly do that. From their color and their style. But that is what we are all really asking here: form over function, or function over form? Each reply may have a differing viewpoint. I try not to judge because so many times I lament, "there is nothing new coming out anymore", so when something does come out that is new, like these boots, its not really right for me to lambast the design because sometimes from purely whimsical ideas comes a whole new trend? Or kind of like with art where you do not overthink the purchase you just buy what you like and disregard what other naysayers say. That is the whole reason for fashion, where designers do not have to quell their ideas by being practical to wear, practical to manufacture and just dare ask, "what if we did this"? There is immense value to society to let creators do that. Sure, only one out of ten ideas will work out, but its a process that has to play out or we are bound to mediocracy! These boots seemed to achieve what the designer and model was looking for: boots that make a statement. It is on a high heel chatroom being discussed. It seems they got what they were looking for in that regard.

I've bought and returned 4 pairs of heels this year, all didn't fit. But I have not seen many I like lately in the first place.

I meant to comment on this note earlier. I ran across another “statistic” on a different forum that alleges that 14 percent of men paint their nails. I presume that number represents feet and hands. I’ve made no effort to vet the information, but in conversations with my nail tech, whom I previously mentioned is a major supporter and fan of the practice, I expect that she would estimate the number to be even higher. Regards, Logjam

The only ones I’m aware of are called waders. Unless one is fly fishing I simply don’t see the point in such things.

I started a separate new thread on driving in heels. There seems to be demand for it

I’ve not bought any in ages although I have seen some I’ve fancied. Living in a boat is an excellent way to curb one’s acquisitional instincts

Add to the list of silly things people do …

I’ve never done it, never intend to do it and don’t even own a car but it seems like driving in heels is a topic of interest so I decided I’d start a thread. i wouldn’t mind trying cycling in heels though. I’ve seen it done quite stylishly by women in London and on the Continent.

I used to go through ebay and Poshmark on a daily basis, looking for the next big thing. I realized this morning that it has been a long, long time since I've bought any new shoes. I looked it up, and it's been over six months. I have several items that I'm watching, but I do not feel the desire that I used to. I suppose that's a good thing in many ways, but it does mark a severe shift in buying habits. It also doesn't hurt that I've had zero shoe failures so far this year, which is nothing short of amazing.