Fashion. It tells us things about people. What colors do they like, if they dressy or casual, trendy, or have their own style? When I’m sitting in a coffee shop or rolling around a shopping center, I love people-watching. That sounded creepy in my head when writing that sentence on my blog. But we all indeed observe people whether we purposefully are doing it or not. We all learn by looking and instantly wondering and questioning others’ decisions on style.
On top of that, styles constantly change, so when I catch up, they change again because the trend changes slightly each season. One trend I feel robbed of is that Nike brand shoes are the “in” thing right now with every outfit! Even with prom dresses, girls wear them to be comfy casual but blend them with formal dresses to sun dresses! My daily shoes are sneakers, or we can call them kicks now. Whatever! I’m not trying to pretend I know all the “in” things, but I’m thankful that I can put my white Vans with anything at my age right now, and it looks good! The one bummer thing about wearing leg braces is that based on your actual foot size, your brace often makes your foot larger and broader than it is. I’ve always had tiny feet, but when I put on my shoes, I feel like a Hobbit with giant feet!
I just recently bought a pair of Nike—yes, my first pair just now! Why? Well, Nike shoes run narrow, so they don’t work with my braces, but on days when I want to be less confined, I slip on my Nike and decide that on this day, I will choose comfort over practicality. My mind goes back and forth between being physically innovative and practical and physically popular and stylish with my body. I didn’t choose to wear tight leg braces to help me walk, and wearing Vans is not my shoe, but it helps me be as mobile and balanced as possible for my daily life. But when I wear my Nike shoes, I feel stylish, comfortable, and free to sit how I want to!
I’ve been living with my disability my whole life, and in my life, I’ve only ever worn leg braces. Practically, I need them to stand and balance. I don’t take the support they give me I don’t take for granted, but I feel confined to sitting straight with my legs in one position the whole day. When I wear my Nike, I need my wheelchair or walker to do basic movements, but I can sit anywhere and cross my legs, stretch, lie down, and bend my knees! One is practical, and one is “popular.” What does popular have to do with this?
When looking up the word popular on Google, it describes it as liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group. So, if I have a day that I feel like wearing my Nike shoes in my heart, I want to feel the enjoyment of what that kind of freedom feels like because that’s how others feel the same way. I want to have a break from standing out in a way that sometimes I can’t control because practically and daily I need to walk, but the way people point out my Nike and admire them can lift my spirits when often half of the time I am being stared at and pointed at because friends or strangers do not admire my leg braces.
There must be a delicate balance between practicality and popularity in medical society. In my own life growing up, I wanted to buy fashionable things but needed to be practical first to feel the freedoms I received as a teenager. Ultimately, I needed to be safe and sturdy to do the physical walking around that I was doing, but I missed out on feeling popular and pretty without needing braces. Today, I wear my leg braces 95% of the time, and for the small 5%, I wear my Nike or a cute pair of boots when the weather is chilly and my favorite season of fall comes around, and I want to feel the fall vibes of boots and sweaters. This small change has given me the freedom I didn’t feel as a teen girl. Yes, it’s a small percent of change on a random day or an event where I want to feel girly or be able to sit freely instead of always in my wheelchair or a regular chair but sitting on a couch and not worrying about leaving marks or tears because of my leg brace! And yes, I’m cautious about sitting in other people’s houses because I’ll admit I’ve smugged dirt on friends’ couches before, and you can’t hide that!
Practically, I need leg braces to live as independently as possible.
Practically, I need a wheelchair to go long distances.
Practically, I feel balanced when I stand in my knee brace.
These are not bad things, but they are practical.
Popular option: I like my Nike shoes with all my outfits.
Popular option: I love how free and flexible I feel in my Nike.
Popular option: I’ve learned to love my legs as they are.
These are not bad things, but they are my personal popular options regarding how I view my decision to live with both my practical lifestyle and my popular option of living both freely, boldly, and confidently.
Readers with similar struggles here is my direct encouragement to you: You have a choice to choose what makes you feel beautiful. What is popular with you now will change, just like trends. It takes time to choose something against your practicality, but it can help your confidence by as much as 5%. I encourage you to think about what that is for you.
Wearing my leg braces tells a story and is important in my life, but my Nike, in its popular option, reminds me that I am no different from anyone else. I would like to wear a trendy pair of shoes to mix it up and to remind myself that I feel pretty with braces or sneakers.
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