It seems as I was going from function A to B, something went wrong. I’m missing some money but my purse is still here. So… what happened last night? Or the 20 consecutive years before that?
There’s a shift in the social scene that we didn’t see coming. We’re losing money. Not because we’re making less. But because inflation is rising faster than our wages can account for it. The most garish sign is that nobody owns their apartments anymore (or worse yet, most can’t even rent their own apartments). I’m blessed to own one, but it took a year of renovating a derelict apartment to own property in The Big Smoke.
The alarm bell sounds more like a gentle click-clack. Our heels are not as tall as they were before.
TFL, The Service That You Are
The modes of transport to social gatherings in decades past were taxis, the friend that drives, or a boyfriend’s motorbike (when boyfriends were in style.) Now, we take the bus, train, or walk everywhere that we can. I’ve even seen people going to and from their wedding on the tube and they’ve somehow made it very cool. I am a victim of the 10,000 steps cult myself, so none of these options are inherently wrong.
Gone are the days where you could head out with £25 in your purse. When it’s the choice between the expensive cocktails (averaging £15 in cocktail bars across the city) or entry into unique third spaces, the luxury of the modern horse and carriage is shut off from the girls on a budget. I have the money. But I also have a mortgage. I hate to think of the girls who have neither.
So, when a friend invites me out, best believe I’m treating the journey as a hot girl walk, Walking by Mary Mary full volume in my headphones and donning a comfortable pair of kitties. No shame in it. In fact, it’s now the mode.
Perhaps being from the Midlands sways my good judgement, but there is nothing like the public transport system in London anywhere. The fact that you can miss a bus or train and have another within five minutes? Not to gaslight the haters but I’d say we ought to be grateful.
The Rebranding Of Walking
I’d like to think that the lockdowns during the pandemic are partially responsible for this push towards a regular stroll. When we could only leave the house for an hour a day, walks became the national pastime. I went from taking Ubers to avoid 10-minute walks to my current practice of walking two hours or more daily.
Walking has always been the low-impact way to stay healthy and fit but nobody actually believed that it was that simple, hence the pre-Covid obsession with HIIT workouts and doing the absolute most in the gym.
A lot of girls I know don’t even go to the gym anymore. Pilates has claimed a generation. The ones that do? Slow, heavy resistance training, running and that damn Stairmaster (I once did 45 minutes on that demon. I was seeing stars.) Sweating has never been sexy. And until brands like TALA and Alo came along, neither was gym gear. It makes sense that we’d find ways to incorporate movement that looks composed, simple and sexy.
It’s technically girl math to walk. My personal calculations have been that working out in my front garden with kettlebells (40kg) twice a week, skipping twice a week and walking anywhere I can leaves me with more money in my pocket and a blood test results that my GP doesn’t shake their head at. Vogue Business recently heralded strong women as a market that we haven’t tapped into yet. I agree, strength is the ultimate luxury. You can’t buy it with money—the results are all on you.
What Does This Mean For The Cursed Commuter Shoes?
I think those dusty trainers that you kept from your PE days in school can retire now. Unless you’re a sneakerhead and have a pair that do your outfit a service. I personally love wearing my kitten heels to walk around the city but if I’m in a hurry you can’t go wrong with flip flops. The Havaianas do numbers online but I personally put my trust in Croc flops.
If kitten heels are your commuter shoe of choice, they have a relatively thin sole and require good maintenance. Find a good local cobbler who can replace the heel for you before it gets too bad (they are literally everywhere) or learn how to replace the heels yourself. The first thing you should do when buying a new pair is get some sole protectors to avoid grating them down, which can affect your balance.
Cheyenne A. Brown 