Dancing in Red Shoes
by Bethany Maines
We are celebrating our new logo this month and discussing
what our red stiletto means to us. As I
have been recently taking a trip through the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the
stories of Hans Christian Anderson, I was immediately reminded of the story of
the Red Shoes. In the
story an orphan girl gets a pair of red shoes and makes the mistake of wearing
them to church. She’s very pleased with her red shoes and give a little dance
step and from that moment on is cursed to dance whether she wants to or not. Eventually, she gets a woodcarver and
occasional town executioner to chop off her feet. He carves her a pair of wooden feet, she begs
forgiveness and eventually is allowed to return to church and presumably her
life of appropriate poverty and boring clothes.
The story is a very obvious warning about dressing above ones station,
acting without proper humility and of course having the audacity to be a pretty
girl. To which I say… bring on the red
shoes, let’s go dancing.
what our red stiletto means to us. As I
have been recently taking a trip through the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the
stories of Hans Christian Anderson, I was immediately reminded of the story of
the Red Shoes. In the
story an orphan girl gets a pair of red shoes and makes the mistake of wearing
them to church. She’s very pleased with her red shoes and give a little dance
step and from that moment on is cursed to dance whether she wants to or not. Eventually, she gets a woodcarver and
occasional town executioner to chop off her feet. He carves her a pair of wooden feet, she begs
forgiveness and eventually is allowed to return to church and presumably her
life of appropriate poverty and boring clothes.
The story is a very obvious warning about dressing above ones station,
acting without proper humility and of course having the audacity to be a pretty
girl. To which I say… bring on the red
shoes, let’s go dancing.
Red stilettos are sexy, daring, and commanding, all of which
are dangerous things for women to be whether it’s 18th century
Germany or 21st century America. The Stiletto Gang doesn’t require
our members to wear stilettos, but we do embrace the idea that there isn’t a
particular way women ought to be. Our members are diverse in ethnicity, ages,
and outlook , but we all share the idea that women can be (and write) what they
want. To me that’s what the red shoe
stands for—boldly embracing women’s right to be powerful.
are dangerous things for women to be whether it’s 18th century
Germany or 21st century America. The Stiletto Gang doesn’t require
our members to wear stilettos, but we do embrace the idea that there isn’t a
particular way women ought to be. Our members are diverse in ethnicity, ages,
and outlook , but we all share the idea that women can be (and write) what they
want. To me that’s what the red shoe
stands for—boldly embracing women’s right to be powerful.
Many thanks to my Stiletto sisters for their continued
support and now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a little dancing to do.
support and now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a little dancing to do.
***
Want to know more about upcoming releases from Bethany Maines? Join the Blue Zephyr Press Readers Group. You’ll receive a free e-short from Bethany Maines and get updates about new releases and sales from the Blue Zephyr Press authors. WWW.BLUEZEPHYRPRESS.COM
Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her fourth degree black belt in karate, she can be found
chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You
can also catch up with her on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her fourth degree black belt in karate, she can be found
chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You
can also catch up with her on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Love the reference to "The Red Shoes" fairy tale! And I'm so envious of those red shoes you're wearing at the end of your post. Red and embellished, my favorite kind of wearing apparel.
They were a gift and I <3 them also!
Terrific.