Remember the missing Manolos? In the Sex and the City episode A Woman's Right to Shoes, Carrie goes to a baby shower and the hostess asks her to remove her shoes when she enters the apartment. When Carrie gathers her things to leave she discovers the shoes are gone. The hostess refuses to replace them arguing that they are "just" shoes. And this begins the discussion by Carrie about much more than the value of shoes—how the little and the big choices single women make in life are not always understood by married women.
This episode is one of my faves. Carrie's argument with the host regarding the stolen Manolos is less about the cost of the extravagant shoes and more about our right to defend the choices we make in life. In the episode Carrie adds up all the bridal and baby shower gifts she has purchased over the years and wonders why single women are left out of the picture.
"I'm talking about that single gal. Hallmark doesn't make a 'Congratulations, you didn't marry the wrong guy' card. And where is the flatware for going on vacation alone."
~Carrie
"The fact is, sometimes it's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes. That's why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun."
~Carrie
I love a beautiful shoe and it would be easy to just think about the value of the missing Manolos in this episode. But like many SATC episodes, the ideas presented get the conversation going about much bigger issues—even 15 years after the series first aired. Does society put too much emphasis on celebrating the people who get married and have children? The question will always be up for debate.
Shoe Sketch: "Carrie’s silver Manolo Blahnik oval d’Orsay pumps" above by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to pin image on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!
