Dear women, this is a frightening thought, as we all prepare to go back to work in full… 

How can we get back to the days when wearing Stilettos was an everyday occurrence! From stepping gently into the morning business review meeting, to a quick dash to the PTA meeting at the children’s school, to the business dinner at the Chinese restaurant at 6pm and the weekend “Ówambe’’…. the wedding party of a dear niece; Stilettos had to surface somehow.

Name the occasion and the right height and colour of stiletto shoe surfaced with the matching bag for that occasion! The regular outings on our dear Stilettos, meant we had enough ‘practice’ to walk without wobbling, or getting ‘’leg cramps’’.

It also meant we had enough distance to walk to test which Stiletto Shoes start to pinch the feet when walking on not- so- smooth surfaces like grass and sand. The days are returning when we can take our stride on the more stable marble or glass floors, where even the sound of the Stilettos walking into a venue of smartly dressed people and over - packed hallways, meant your confidence level had to be at an all-time high to wear such ‘’head turning heels’’. Help…. if truth must be told, for the last two months or so, all those dainty Stilettos have been ‘parked’ like cars in the parking lot, with ‘’social distancing at its best’’! Some Stilettos are now full of dust, getting wobbly and worn-out by the lockdown heat and sweat! Trying them on again in preparation for work gives you the shock of the moment… ‘’I can no longer wear my Stilettos’’!

Some have ‘’come apart’’ upon ‘restart’ and some require a bit more practice, as the distance round the bedroom is not enough to get back the gallant cat walk steps and sway that goes with high stepping!

It is truly amazing what we take for granted. Who would have ever thought we would require so many Stilettos (if we were living out a very busy work life, social life and even ‘religious life’)?  With functions and so many occasions to go to (even to just gist), we still thought of buying more as ‘we thought’ we needed to have the ‘powder blue’’ shade and coral red Stilettos for the ‘Aso- Ebi’ for next week!!  Phew!

Suddenly, so many with nowhere to go…this is not an “Ode to the Stiletto’’ but a wake- up call, to start ‘practicing’ with what you have indoors already!! With the easing of the lockdown, the Stilettos will start to resurface, but the good old swagger that you need to ‘get back your full stride’ awaits as most may have to ‘promote’ ourselves from the slippers and flat shoes we have worn for months back to the stilts.

Happy preparations ladies, perhaps in this case ‘’it’s a man’s world on flats most of the time’’.