Practicing What We Preach

by Tracy Chapman
Published January 22, 2009 in Health

For some time now we’ve been saying that one of the Half Truths about women is that they want to be healthy. Yet the Whole Truth is that they work out sometimes, eat well when they can, and avoid bad behaviors (as long as they don’t need a vacation tan, are stressed and need a cigarette or are just having too much fun socializing with friends).

So knowing this, I shouldn’t be too surprised that I found myself living this Whole Truth. Over the weekend I popped in a new exercise DVD and sat on the floor while I proceeded to “watch” the 45 minute routine. Now in my defense, I did want to see if it was a routine that I could handle (as it is my first workout since becoming pregnant)…but that really is an excuse I told myself. I knew I could do it.  So many women have the best of intentions but the worry and the excuses often get in the way – add the pressures of spending extra money on ourselves and more excuses will follow for putting off getting in shape, losing weight, getting to the doctor.  As January quickly comes to a close and new year’s resolutions are potentially waning, I know I could use a gentle wake-up call….a little truth goes a long way.

Tags: Half Truths, Weight Loss, Whole Truths

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Falling for Shoes

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published July 16, 2008 in Fashion

Just Ask a Woman is within walking distance of shoe heaven. We are wedged between well-heeled Soho and Union Square, the foot traffic mecca and home of DSW whose strategic platform conference I recently emceed. (Yes, you’ll be slogging through shoe puns this entire blog!)

We recently completed a project for Naturalizer, where three women divulged that they’d been victims of ‘fashion injuries’.  “Ha Ha,” I laughed.  

Till last Friday.  

That’s when I slipped twice in the same shoes, cut my forehead, and earned myself an emergency dash to a beauty-centered derm, usually a cakewalk in Manhattan but no small feat on a weekend in July.  Five stitches later, my accident became a Rohrschach referendum on me and my shoe IQ. Female friends taught me firsthand (feetfirst?) the marketing Half Truth (Women love to shop for shoes) and Whole Truth (Women secretly despise the shoes they wear most).  

“Were you wearing super high heels?”(do they think I’m an impractical fashion victim?) “Get rid of those old flip-flops!” (am I pegged as a barefoot slob?) “Did you throw those shoes away!?” (and if I didn’t, I’m an idiot, right?) 

Truth be told, the real me isn’t a fashionista or a slouch. The guilty pair were my favorite, super cute Beverly Feldman straw ballet flats with an iridescent green crumpable bow and a teeny leopard-like edging. How could I toss my babies for one small slip?  

Instead I sneaked to the shoemaker (ironically named FIRM Shoe Repair), flashed my nasty stitches and sadly placed the weapons on the counter. Even he wanted to put them out of their misery. “Just one last chance,” I conspired. We say we want comfortable shoes. We do. But when they’re extra cute and loyal, we can’t send them six feet under before their time. (Anyway, if the new rubber soles won’t save them, my bonus DSW $10 certificate is burning a hole in my wallet.)

Tags: Half Truths

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