abigail

Hi,

If anything my Mum was a negative influence on me. She is quite stout and always wore "comfortable shoes" no matter what the occasion. The highest heel I think I ever saw her wear was about 1". I have no sisters but was best friends with two sisters who lived across the street. We had a great time trying on each other clothes, though they both had big feet compared to mine so I could never borrow their shoes.

When I went into 3rd year at secondary school I started to wear tights instead of socks and persuaded my Mum to let me have court shoes. I would have been 13 at the time. The heels weren't very high, maybe an inch or so, but I always chose stilettos to make me feel more grown up.

By the time I turned 15 I'd discovered boys and enjoyed being noticed. My Mum would never let me have high heels so I got a Saturday job and saved up. My first pair were 3 1/2" stiletto courts. I couldn't risk being caught at home with them so I asked a friend to keep them and then I'd change my shoes at the school gates. I loved the feeling of walking in with the extra height and the sound they made on the hard floors. It made me feel special and the boys would sometimes wolf whistle.

After lots of nagging my Mum finally agreed to let me have a pair of stiletto sandals for my 16th birthday. To her horror I picked the highest pair I could find - 4" silver and sparkly - for partying of course. Soon after that I came home in my "school" heels and Mum never said a word. I guess she figured I was old enough to make my own decisions by then.

As my old shoes wore out I replaced them with heels and haven't looked back.

Abi