I must apologise for not posting last week, sadly my granny passed away so I was occupied with other things – like finding her favourite heels to send her off in. Which indecently were a pair of silver strappy kitten heels that she bought specially for my cousin’s wedding. As much as they tortured her feet she loved them to bits and wore them with such pride while dancing the night away with my grampa – boy, they could dance! And my gran was one feisty woman!
Looking back at my gran’s life is a reminder of how far us High Heelers have come over a relatively short period of time. Yes High Heelers – get ready to burn your bras, we’re going on a feminist march! (No, in all seriousness – NEVER burn a bra, they are our best assets next to our heels and red lips!)
You know, my gran grew up in a wealthy home with all the comforts of her time. Her brothers were all sent off to university and were highly qualified as architects and teachers. They went on to be successful in their fields and my gran spoke of them all with such pride. As a young woman in the 40s, my granny was never given the opportunity to study so instead she read all her brothers’ text books and every other book she could get her hands on. And as much as she drove me completely insane with her arguments on many occasions, I cannot deny that she is the most intelligent woman I have known – next to my boss, Natalie Maroun. If my gran had been granted an education I can only imagine the impact she would have made.
In her time if women went to university it was to find a husband. When a lady married it was her life’s ambition to keep her house clean, feed her husband, care for the children and ensure she looked respectable for her husband at all times (then there’s also the ‘secretive’ part about having energy for him in the evening time!). Well, for the most part my gran didn’t bother about these stupid rules, except for the one about looking good! She was always dressed in her best outfits, with perfect nails, red/pink lips and obviously, the best shoes around. But she didn’t dress for her husband (as much as she adored him) she dressed for herself. She was no one’s housewife, she was my grandpa’s partner, equal and lifelong-love.
Before our current western generation of today there were women who didn’t have the right to study, to work, to vote, to dress as they chose to or to make decisions. And still today in many countries in our world there are High Heelers wishing they could make more of an impact. If you’re as fortunate as I am today, remember those who came before you and those who still struggle to be like you.
This week as we remember all of our grannies, moms, aunts and other strong women that have made us who we are, let’s wear red lips, slip on our highest heels and stand tall – because we can. Flat-shoed-ones – you may just appreciate us a little more this week!
We thank all the women who have allowed us to be loud, proud and true to ourselves! Have a great week High Heelers.
Cheers,
Jo
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