What do ballerinas know? I am certain that they know a lot, about being beautiful and about being graceful and even about being cute but… most of all – about shoes.

The uncomfortable ones anyway.

Ballerinas MUST know how uncomfortable their ballet shoes are and they probably think that shoe designers – the ones who go out on a not so uncertain limb to design, promote and sell ballet flats – are crazy.

It’s taken me about 20 years to realize something.

After trying countless pairs of ballet slippers, ballet shoes, ballet skimmers and even Tom’s version of the ballet flat where you get one and give one, I have yet to find a pair that doesn’t hurt my feet. I will even go so far to say that I regret buying those (Tom’s) if the pair they gave were their woolen ballet flats.

Why?

Because all ballerinas know that we don’t – that their “adorable” and graceful and strong and talented ballerina feet are constantly tortured. They get smashed. They gets crunched. They get squeezed into little teeny, tiny things that are then wrapped in ribbon to look beautiful on stage.

No doubt. They know this more than we will ever know. I tell my girls all the time. Beauty is pain.

Now, I think that it starts with the ballet slipper. They are all universally cute but beyond uncomfortable and what little girl out there – maybe a few – didn’t want to be a ballerina when they were little? Skip that dream maybe. I think engineer shoes are much more comfy. Cute – no, but certainly a dream to wear.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl