Everyday we put on a costume designed to tell the world what part we play. This costume communicates our race, class, age, and gender; it gives hints as to whether we live in the suburbs, the city, or the country; it can even tell stories about our politics or religion. While most of us put on the same set of costumes most of the time, these habits actually hide the fact that what we wear is carefully calibrated to tell a particular story about us so that we fit and stand out just right. We can’t avoid this. People will “read” our costume whether we want them to or not.
What story do holes in the soles of your shoes tell?
Lowering the Bar reports that a lawyer in Florida filed a motion with the judge to force the opposing counsel to fix the holes in the soles of his shoes (via Boingboing). He claimed that the worn shoes were used strategically to cultivate a sense of being “humble and simple without sophistication” and, therefore, trustworthy. (The judge denied the motion.)
Presidential photographer Callie Shell snapped this picture of Obama, revealing holes in the soles of his shoes, that received quite a bit of attention in the media.
What was so remarkable about the picture? Nothing really. Except the holes in the soles of his shoes supposedly tell us something about him. As a piece of the costume, they communicate.
At Wonkette it means that he’s a “salt-of-the-earth true human.”
At The Daily Kos it means that he’s “in touch with the average American.”
At Blackbook it reveals “common-sense and frugality.”
Obama may or may not be these things; it is certainly interesting that we think his shoes could confirm that he is! (Actually, I think having holes in your soles is decidedly non-common-sensical. What if it rains!)
