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

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.

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.

I only get regular polish on my toes, but I see some women that get gel on they toes. Maybe if you going on a tropical vacation with lots of walking in sand. You could start slow with a tint instead of pure color. Or you could go all out with glow-in-the-dark polish for Halloween.

I’m obviously gonna encourage you to at least give color a try. If it’s not your cup of tea, it’s simple enough to undo. And a tip - even wearing openly in the summer, I don’t get gel or acrylic on my toes, and the color holds up nicely through my nominal one month pedi cycles.

I started pedicures about 20 years ago. My wrist/hand was in and out of cast for 6 months followed by surgery. I was complaining to a cosmetologist that I couldn't cut my toe nails and she suggest I get a pedicure. The first year I only got clear., then tints. I started colors around 2011, first simple. Now almost anything but pink or red. Since I am diabetic, foot care is important. My fingernails started in 2015 when my thumb nail started to split from the tip to the bed. Tried everything, but nothing worked. Finally someone suggest getting it covered with acrylic and they put a layer of gel over that. A year later I tried to see what would happen if I stopped doing the acrylic nail. It split in 3 days...back to acrylic. Then another nail had issues, so it got acrylic too. But my hand looked funny with two differently shaped nails. .... Anyway I get a complete set of acrylics every month and a pedi at the same time. The place I go to has only three independent nail techs. They each have their on set of clients and they can't take any new clients. I have interactions with the other customers. A few of the women customers sent their husbands in. Most don't get color. My fingernails have had almost very type of technique, chrome, metalic/magnetica - fish eyes, to plain color, to ombres, to art... My tech love do my nails because I allow her to be more creative. The place was once called Nails to Envy As far as complements, many women have told me my nails are fantastic, they wish theirs were so nice. I get complement from men as well, and I said before I here the "I wish I could do it too".

I don’t at all mind telling the story, in fact, I kinda enjoy doing so. As mentioned, I got started something over 10 years ago. the genesis was when I went to a podiatrist for a chronically ingrown toenail. The doc happened to be a woman (middle age, but very attractive, not that that matters.) She examined the errant digit, then told me that as a result of the “surgery”, I would loose the toenail. I said go ahead. After the procedure, she suggested that she examine the other foot, I gave her the go-ahead. She noted my Morton’s toes (2nd toe longer than the big toe, in my case more than 1/4 inch) and told me that due to that condition, I should wear sandals or open-toe shoes whenever practical. And she also told me that I should get regular pedicures, citing essentially the same condition. She noted that a nail tech could fashion an artificial nail on the injured toe, and noted that would be esthetically desirable in sandals. Then, to my GREAT surprise, she noted, and best I recall, a direct quote, “And - you can paint them. Men do that now, that’s a thing.” I can only presume she was a fan of the practice. So, I set out to start getting regular pedis, and decided to throw in manis to help protect my easily damaged fingernails, I do a lot of “manual labor” type things in my shop. I first went to several different “Asian” (no offense intended) places, but quickly discovered that I simply did not hear well enough to understand the techs, so I finally tracked down a place where the owner was a native english speaker. My first few visits were simple pedis without polish of any kind, but curiosity was lurking and on the fourth (or so) visit, I asked about men getting color. Her response was enthusiastic, “YES! Let’s do this!” In short - I was instantly hooked, and pretty much haven’t looked back. Long story a bit shorter. That tech closed her business and moved away to marry an out-of-town boyfriend. I’m now on my third tech. I’ve been seeing her since the post-Covid reawakening. She is a VERY enthusiastic supporter of men wearing color, to that point that I finally asked her if her enthusiasm was because it meant more clients, she replied very succinctly that no, not just that, she likes the look, feels that it’s an indicator of a man taking better care of himself, and also shows a willingness to set aside “men’s stereotypes”. In the time I’ve been wearing openly, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of women who have noted, complemented, and occasionally engaged in conversation about my colored digits. And, aside from that, I’m pretty much a nondescript ol’ fart. Humor intended on this topic. As noted, I’m an OF, and some years ago, my hair began to abandon me. I soon noted that in apparent solidarity with the hair on my head, my leg hair also started to depart. Today I’m naturally bald, and save a few stragglers, hairless on my legs. The aforementioned practice of wearing sandals, along with shorts in the warmer months, has prompted a number of folks, often women, to straightforward ask me if I shaved my legs. I always answer no, I don’t need to, and share the quip I mentioned above, most always to the other party’s amusement. As I mentioned to CrushedVamp, I’m another regular color-wearer on my toes. My nail tech has a small “salon” area with one other tech in a place also used for her other businesses (selling refurbished and repurposed furniture, and permanent cosmetics.) I have learned that I was her first male client in this location, and as mentioned, she is enthusiastic about men wearing color, and has apparently cited me as an example to help “convert” several other male basic pedi clients to wearing color. Also, during the time I’ve been seeing her, I’ve encountered a number of other woman clients, either coming or going, who have taken time to engage with me, ask questions, and 100% make supportive conversation about men wearing color on nails. (I’m so far sticking to clear gel on hands, but my tech occasionally, pleasantly, suggests that I “indulge” in color there as well.)

At the salon that I go to my nail tech tells me that she has over 20 male customers that get pedicures. Most get a clear gel but like myself there are 9 other men customers that get color on their toes, some red like me, some pink, one in purple and two in black. I remember several years ago when there was three other men that hand colored toes. We were shopping in a Walmart. One of the women with one of the men took a picture of all four of us showing off our colored pedi's. She said she was going to post it online but I never saw it. So Crushed Vamp you can wear a color on your toes. There are a lot of men doing it. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Another thing that is difficult, but not impossible to do in heels is ride a motorbike. It seems exciting at first, but as a practical matter it is somewhat less than exciting, and very possibly rather unsafe. This is one of the reasons I switched to a scooter, with automatic transmission and no foot controls. Those things were made for heels!

Bringing us gently back on point, I managed to snag a photo of my friend in her bootcut jeans while I was tearing down my musical equipment on Sunday. I'm not entirely sure what this group of women was doing, but I think they were learning American Sign Language. Anyway, I took a picture of the whole group, then cropped it to show the relevant part, and to protect the identity(ies) of those involved. My friend doesn't wear super high heels, but she does wear heels almost every Sunday, and this style, though on the casual side for me, seems to suit her.

I already did a few walks around the block in the Hot Chicks. This is the best (and hardest) training so far. Yesterday I had a funny experience. I'm doing my walks in the evening, it's mostly already dark outside and not much going on. But yesterday a neighbour was in the garden and she saw me walking by. At first she just greeted me normally, but then she had a wondering second glance and said: "Wow, they're especially high today". We then had a little conversation and it turns out she also has a pair of Louboutins, the Pigalle 100. She said she doesn't really wear them anymore, but I made her curious to get them out again 😉

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

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

The problem here in the United States would be, not so much a police officer as it would be an opposing attorney. For just driving barefoot or in high heels... no, nothing would ever be said about it, or a fine levied. However, if you were to be in an auto accident and say someone was killed. If you were to be driving without shoes, or wearing high heels, there is a greater likelihood that the victim's family would use that as a determining factor at making you culpable. Especially if they had nothing else to pin their death on you for. Here we call it "leverage". The opposing attorney finds you did something outside the norm for driving, then would use that in a court of law to sway the jury. Most likely it would never get that far. It would be leverage used in mediation, but ultimately the car insurance carrier would cave and pay out the settlement.

Hmmmm. I still think the odds of anyone being taken to court for driving barefoot or in heels is vanishingly small. There would have to be some truly spectacular other factors and even then that would just be an extra charge thrown in for good measure.

The evidence offered by a police officer would be considered, with other factors, by the court. And the civil aspect is perhaps even more important in that any third party claim is very likely to involve consideration of apportionment of negligence, with a loss of control due to inappropriate footwear being a potentially key factor. It is by no means as trivial or clear-cut as you suggest. This from the AA: 'In 2010, the AA conducted a survey and found that 27% of people said their choice of shoes led to difficulty while driving. Around 5% went as far as to say their footwear caused them to drive dangerously, lose control, or even have an accident. Evidently, the kind of driving shoes you wear really does make a difference – no matter the weather or road conditions. You may be tempted during warmer months to drive without shoes. However, according to Rule 97 of the Highway Code, drivers should make sure “clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner." Failure to do so can result in fines or a penalty. Driving barefoot isn’t illegal, but it’s also not advised.'

I first ran into it when I was talking with a truck driver and he said he was pulled over by the Weigh Wagons (police for trucks) and was told to get out of the truck. He said he went scrambling for his shoes because it was against the law to drive without shoes on. It was the first I had ever heard of a law prohibiting it. Later, as I researched the validity of what he said, I realized that it was untrue, but a VERY common thought. In the United States anyway, the Supreme Court has ruled that your vehicle gives you the same rights as your home. There are a lot of rights that are bundled with that, but one surprising one is that it is perfectly legal to be naked inside your car. Yep, no joke. Castle Doctrine also applies.

Thank you! I’m quietly excited. You and @mlroseplant have both been huge helps and great influences

My story with pedicure’s began similar to @Logjam with the exception that my ingrown toenail was caught early enough so no surgery was needed, just needed to be dealt with properly. Her prescription was literally to go to a nail salon and have them take care of the issue. As a convincer for me she told me that her boyfriend went with her every six weeks and that she thought all men should have it done. So I went, because I literally had too, but found other benefits while there. I found out I had been cutting my toenails all wrong like for all of my life which prevents another ingrown toenail, but the nail salon where my wife and I now go does a hot rock calf massage with hot towel wrap along with the pedicure. This really helps with the problems in my right achilles tenon, but certainly that helps my left one too. For us, it is now a six-week husband and wife thing that has massage built in along with other practical benefits. I just don’t have color applied as she does, but maybe the next time I will.

One thing crazy thing that persists here in the United States anyway, is that is that it is against the law to drive barefoot… or at least without shoes, and that is actually false. None of the fifty states have such a law so I guess driving in heels or taking them off really does not matter here. Now, it is possible that if you are in an accident and driving barefoot you could be cited for “driving to endanger”, but with a pair of high heels kicked off there is no culpability since it could be said driving with them on would have been just as bad, or worse I would think??? But what NO ONE should ever do is put their feet up on the dash while riding in a moving vehicle… especially barefoot. Take a look at some pictures of people who have done that, and it is clear they will never walk again.

Both my fingers and toes get complements from BOTH men and women. Sometimes a man will tell me he wishes he could color his nails but is too afraid to do so.

Haha then I'd rather stick to practicing in Hot Chicks than in Converse 😉

Yesterday evening it buggered my mind so much that I can't find good everyday occasions for the Hot Chicks, that I just put them on and went for a walk around the block. Actually this might be the best training occasion anyway, because it's simple, I can always do it, and I can vary the length. And my neighbours know me anyway so they probably won't even realize if I'm wearing 13 cm heels instead of 11 cm 😅 Usually I also always drive in my heels, but somehow I never tried in the higher ones. And I have the same issue with scuffed heels from driving, so I wouldn't want to do this to my Hot Chicks. That sounds very good 🙂 Exactly! Nobody walks like that, and I don't see any sense in that. Maybe it's a thing of the look coming from the runway...

That is a very nice feeling, indeed! Unfortunately, I don't have that feeling nearly enough. It's not that I feel clumsy or uncomfortable, but rarely do I feel like I actually know what I'm doing. I may expand upon that thought later. I will have to buck the trend here, and say that I do not find How to Walk in Heels videos to be very helpful at all. There are a significant portion of them that are just wrong, or give bad advice. Those that do give correct advice present it in such a way to be less than helpful with the motion of the walk, if that makes any sense. And whoever says you need to walk upon a straight line, or worse yet, cross your feet over each other as you take each step needs to be publicly shamed. Nobody walks that way on the street. It looks beyond absurd. I'm not saying that there aren't any good videos out there, but they are few.

Yes, Hot Chicks are a pretty serious challenge. I had thought my indoor practice in my heels would have meant more than it did. Real world walking is so much different. I kind of like the challenge though. I’m looking forward to another try at the park

That's great! Real world practice is always a good idea, and I feel you for wanting to be good enough when really wearing them out for a specific occasion. As mentioned above I wore them out again (this weekend) and was a bit surprised. Even though I wore them regularly at home and felt some progress, it was totally different wearing them out again. For sure the home practice helped, but not as much as I expected. Now I want to find some occasions where I can wear them out more frequently, it's not that easy 😄

@higherheels Thank you so much! This high heels challenge has been such a help and such fun too. I’ve bought myself a new pair of jeans to wear with my 12cm boots as a reward for my hard work - and hopefully will get to wear them soon to a cafe for cake and coffee. Just need to get in a bit more real world practice. I have to be certain I can ace this! How are things going with the Hot Chicks? Did you ever reward yourself with the night out you mentioned after your successful outing a few weeks ago?

Or us hockey fans where once and awhile we go to the on-ice fights and strangely a hockey game breaks out! 🙂

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, the apple did not fall far from the tree. I spent a lot of years in a foster home growing up because of my mother. But it was the best thing that happened to me. Everybody's mother loves them, but since mine did not, it set the bar really low. So when people say, "I don't like you Crushed Vamp", I just nod and say, "My own mother didn't either. So what's your point?" " 🙂 It doesn't get any worse than your own mother not loving you, so now; nothing bothers me!