Putting Your Best Foot Forward, at BlogHer 2014

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Dawn Quyle Landau

Live from BlogHer 2014!

Note: All feet were photographed with permission. No feet were hurt in the making of this post, aside from independent shoe selections.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m a shoe girl. Some might even suggest I have a problem… perhaps a small addiction.  I prefer to view it as a deep appreciation for floor-level aesthetics. I’ve been known to meet new friends, based on their shoes. That may seem a tad petty to some, but I would argue that you can tell a lot from shoes; they’ve rarely steered me wrong. I’m certainly not hurting anyone. I’m not a hater; I don’t judge. I do like some shoes more than others, and I tend to be interested in the people who wear them. Let’s be honest here, I’m not alone in my pedal-ardor. (Yes, I did just make that up). I know that there are other women who enter Nordstrom’s shoe department with the same lustful enthusiastic expression. There are plenty of women who spend much more on their shoes and have a much bigger shoe collection than me; and, there are plenty of women who do not. But in the big picture, I don’t feel any need to apologize for this. To each his own, shoes.

Arriving at the 10th anniversary BlogHer convention, I was a bit unsure about navigating it all on my own. I didn’t come with friends. I only know of one other blogger who will be here– I can’t wait to finally meet Emily, at The Waiting. Another blogger I enjoy,  won’t be at BlogHer but will be in the area: Amy, from AmyReeseWrites. BlogHer 2014 is huge! I’ve been wanting to make it to the conference for several years now, and it’s so much bigger than I imagined! More people, more networking, more choices, and shoes beyond my wildest dreams! These ladies brought it, and from what I’ve seen on day 1 and 2, they put a fair bit of thought into their feet. Pedicures in every color, shoes in every shape, size and style!  It only took me about an hour inside the San Jose Convention Center to start gawking.

My feet were taking it all very seriously... walk, walk, walking!

My feet were taking it all very seriously… walk, walk, walking!

Then… I started taking photos. “Excuse me, can I take a picture of your feet–” My feet? “Well, your shoes?” This is BlogHer; these ladies have a sense of humor! They are open and curious– willing to play along. Many asked right away if I was planning to blog about shoes– they are also a savvy group; they got my angle pretty quickly. Others were confused, unsure, or simply unwilling to go along– “My feet look horrible!” (None did). “Oh, I don’t have a pedicure.” (Who cares? Not me!) But most smiled and planted their feet together, a few posing for good measure. Groups of women moved in together and shared their collective foot portraits. The few men I asked, were amused, but game. One assured me, “Wait until you see what I’m wearing tomorrow! This is nothing!” Given his style for today, I was instantly intrigued!

Several women had stories to tell me about their feet, or their shoes. We’re all bloggers; so we are inherently story tellers. “One of these toes isn’t real,” one stylin’ gal told me. I was mildly shocked, for one second. Maybe ten. I studied her toes, trying to maintain a cool demeanor.  They all looked real to me; they all moved. She realized the error and laughed, then clarified: she’d torn one of her big toenails off, gardening, and it had to be surgically removed. When she went for a pedicure recently, they were able to fashion a fake toenail that looks remarkably like the real one. I would never have noticed! Another woman shared that she had found a nail polish called Trolley Carpool. Since we’re near San Francisco, she thought it was perfect for this event.  I loved her enthusiasm! Some admitted that their feet hurt, while others shared that they’d chosen comfortable shoes based on previous BlogHer experiences– there’s a lot of walking here!

What amused me most, was that pretty much every one I approached was open to my somewhat odd request, and willing to go along. They were playful and fun to talk to, or completely practical– as if people ask to photograph their feet all the time. “Sure,” quick pose, and “thanks!” There’s an enthusiasm and sense of camaraderie at BlogHer that comes from having nearly 3,000 mostly women bloggers in one place. We support each other, and welcome the support in return. Folks are encouraging and excited to meet you. They are willing to answer a Facebook post (on the BlogHer site) and meet you for dinner on a whim, and then friend you on Facebook. There is a wonderful sense that you are with your tribe, no matter where we all traveled from. And a good many of us thought about our feet!

So, thank you, all of you bloggers who stopped to let me ogle your feet and your shoes. Thanks for letting me take your pictures. Thanks for saying hi, and laughing with me. Thanks for introducing yourselves. Most of you gave me cards, but I really have no idea which cards belong to people who let me take their pictures. If you recognize your twinkle toes here, and you’d like me to add a link to your blog, please leave a comment and let me know which tootsies are yours; I’d be happy to share the fun!

My feet, are going to bed!

My feet, are going to bed!

If you’re a shoe whore fan like me, you might enjoy this video. Warning, strong language, starting at minute 3, but Kelly always makes me laugh.

 

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If you enjoyed this post, please hit Like and then leave a comment; I love to hear what readers have to say.  Check out Tales From the Motherland’s Facebook page (my goal is 400 likes this year), and Twitter, where I struggle to keep it brief. © 2014 Please note, that all content and images on this site are copyrighted to Dawn Quyle Landau and Tales From the Motherland, unless specifically noted otherwise. If you want to share my work, please give proper credit. Plagiarism sucks.

After the post: These shoes and feet were just screaming to be added!

About Dawn Quyle Landau

Mother, Writer, treasure hunter, aging red head, and sushi lover. This is my view on life, "Straight up, with a twist––" because life is too short to be subtle! Featured blogger for Huffington Post, and followed on Twitter by LeBron James– for reasons beyond my comprehension.
This entry was posted in Beauty, Blog, Blogging, Daily Observations, Honest observations on many things, Humor, Musings, My world, Tales From the Motherland, Women, Women's issues, Wonderful Things, Writing and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

60 Responses to Putting Your Best Foot Forward, at BlogHer 2014

  1. DCTdesigns says:
    July 25, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    You’ve made me want to take a picture of my own feet. As a Piscean, ruled by our feet, I am thrilled at the idea of a deeper meaning applied.

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  2. cyclingrandma says:
    July 25, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    Sounds like a lot of fun! Feet and all.

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  3. Amy Reese says:
    July 25, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    How fun! Lots of fun, cool shoes. Wow, so many different looks. I will probably wear flip flops or tennis shoes. I know, boring! Got to get going. Great post!

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 25, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      The shoes, and pedicures, are pretty damned hot!

      Whatever you wear, I’ll be SO excited to see you! Emily and I are together now, and looking forward to connecting. She can’t do dinner until later. Let us know when you get some time… IF you get some time. Your boy comes first. 🙂

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  4. sustainabilitea says:
    July 25, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    Sounds as though you’re having a blast. Say hi to Amy. I’m sure she’s lovely, no matter the shoes she’s wearing. I’d be wearing lime green Keens. Didn’t see any of those in your gallery. 🙂
    Keep having fun!

    janet

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  5. Psychobabble says:
    July 25, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    What an awesome idea. I totally wish my pregnant feet could be at Blogher right now, especially since it’s so freaking close to my family and where I grew up in the Bay Area.

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  6. sara says:
    July 25, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    I love this gorgeous, light-hearted post from you Dawn – you sound so happy, there with your (feet) tribe!

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  7. Pingback: Putting Your Best Foot Forward, at BlogHer 2014 | ugiridharaprasad

  8. hbksloss says:
    July 25, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    I love taking shots of my feet with pools or oceans in the background.

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  9. patriciaruthsusan says:
    July 25, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    Dawn, Great post!. You were creating like crazy. Looks like bloggers just poured in there. Glad all of you are having fun. 🙂 —Susan

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  10. mariner2mother says:
    July 26, 2014 at 5:37 am

    Very fun and clever! Sounds like a wonderful experience.

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  11. Mike Lince says:
    July 26, 2014 at 6:10 am

    I am pleased to see you are inspired being surrounding with so many like-minded creative types. It sounds like just the ticket to get your juices flowing in writing mode, and the idea of connecting with others via shoes and feet I found to be brilliant. Even though I don’t get the shoe thing, I did go out last week and buy a new pair of walking shoes. These replaced the ones that have almost given out after a year of travels. Counting my slippers, I now own three pairs of shoes. Well, that doesn’t include my hiking boots, but with only one suitcase, that is all I have room for. – Mike

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 26, 2014 at 9:57 am

      No worries, we can still be friends, Mike. But, I would count the hiking boots! 😉 This has indeed inspired me in terms of blog posts, publishing, getting out there, in general. It’s been a very exciting few days… it’ll be hard to get back to the real world, where I say… make dinner, wrangle kids who are moving, feed the dogs… Alas. :-/

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  12. AreYouFinishedYet says:
    July 26, 2014 at 7:21 am

    So fun! And this post was a bonus since it doubled as online shoe shopping 🙂 Glad you are having a good time. Wishe I was there!

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  13. The Waiting says:
    July 27, 2014 at 6:23 am

    I loved this project! You are such a delight, Dawn, and the shoe project is emblematic of your creativity: looking for beauty in unexpected places. Thanks for hoofing it at BlogHer with me.

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  14. etomczyk says:
    July 27, 2014 at 8:05 am

    Don’t you just love Nordstrom’s shoes! They take my breathe away. Of all the shoes you’ve pictured, which one would you pair me with (this pair of shoes is sitting in my closet even as I type)from what you’ve read about me? (Clue: I’m only 5 feet tall) 🙂

    The BlogHer convention sounded fabulous. I think I’ll think about attending next year. Do you know when and where it will be? In the meantime, I’ll connect with them on Facebook. Welcome home.

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 27, 2014 at 8:44 am

      Eleanor, you should definitely think about going. You’d love it, and they’d love you! AND, we could meet in person and connect. I had such a great time finally connecting with so many great bloggers!

      As for shoes… hmm, that is tough. I have several directions I might go with this, having read a lot about you. I know you’re sassy, so they could be any of the sparkly thongy sandals (I know, that’s no longer used for shoes, but I’m old…er). I know you’re practical, so there are several comfortable shoes here that you might choose. I know you’re classy and stylin’, so I’m down to 3 choices. (In my mind, your height could go in a few ways, toward selection): The shoes captioned: “Some are shy,” the Louboutins (2nd from last, at the top), or in the final picture at the very bottom, the nude ones on the left. Am I close?? You’d better answer, after I spent all that time analyzing these photos again! 😉

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  15. etomczyk says:
    July 27, 2014 at 9:03 am

    I roll under the southern belle mantra that “Beauty Knows No Pain,” therefore vanity always wins with me. I never wear flats . . . well, hardly ever. Having to run through airports has forced the issue of flats, but I hate it. The shoes I just purchased are the black high heels listed above the statement: “. . .and everything in between.” I love them! 🙂

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 27, 2014 at 9:18 am

      Damn! AS I finished my post, I thought…NO, it’s those ones. They belonged to Teneshia Jackson-Warner, a kick ass speaker on Thursday. She is a super star in the business world! When you asked, that was my first thought, but then I thought … hmm, she is feisty, but smart. So, I forgot about the southern belle mantra. 😉

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  16. Kylie says:
    July 27, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    Dawn, it was so fun to meet you! You and Emily made me feel welcome, less awkward and alone. As we, ahem, trip through life, it’s good to find people who help us laugh at ourselves.

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  17. Sharon Greenthal says:
    July 27, 2014 at 8:44 pm

    I see my feet! What a clever way of bringing so many bloggers together in one post 🙂

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 27, 2014 at 10:25 pm

      Thanks Sharon! I’m glad you enjoyed the post; I hope you’ll check out other ones. In the meantime, which shoes are yours? Leave a link here to your blog, I’m happy to share the space. I really appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment. 😉

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  18. Katalina4 says:
    July 28, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    Oh what a totally cute approach! Fun and adorable and really works to introduce a large number of folks. Great stuff.
    And good to see what you’re up to! I miss you!!! Wish I’d been there…. 🙂

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      July 29, 2014 at 12:12 am

      Kat! It’s been ages! How are you?? It would have been SO amazing if you had been there! It was so great meeting a few bloggers I’ve followed or known, and really fun to be around so many great people. Really happy to see you in my comments! xo

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  19. Pingback: Meeting Bloggers in Real Life | Amy Reese Writes

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  21. Silver in the Barn says:
    August 3, 2014 at 4:38 am

    Highly original and entertaining. Would you mind telling me how you got loaded these photos? I’m a bit challenged by adding photos and this approach would work beautifully on a post I have in mind. Thank you.😁

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      August 3, 2014 at 11:19 am

      Barbara, welcome to Tales From the Motherland and thank you for your thoughtful comments. I hope you’ll check out some other posts, and share your thoughts.
      🙂

      For this post I used the “gallery” option, on WordPress. If you hit the link “add media” above the box where you type your post, the media option will come up. On the left, above the square with images, is a link that says “create new gallery”. You then click on every picture you want to include. When you’re done, there’s a link on the lower right, that says something like “create gallery” (a confirmation of making it). Your photos will then show up on a grid. You can add captions, and move them around, so they’re in the order you want. Once you’re done, you simply add them, as you usually would with the add link. There are also some wonderful tutorials on WordPress about adding galleries, or photos. Trust me, this is not something I am very talented at, but it’s pretty easy once you know what to do! 😉 Good luck, and once again, thanks for visiting TFTM! Your time is much appreciated.

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      • Silver in the Barn says:
        August 3, 2014 at 3:48 pm

        Oh wow, thank you so much. I see now exactly how to do it. I have a particularly photo-intensive post that I’ve been holding off doing because of my dilemma of how to present the images. Your feet gallery is exactly what I need to recreate (I’m not doing feet, by the way!) Thank you so much for taking the time to lead me through this, fellow blogger. There are the nicest people in the blogosphere!

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  22. Jenna Hatfield says:
    August 3, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    The last photo is of me (center, silver), Sassymonkey (right)…and… I can’t remember who we were walking with at the time. After VOTY on our way to Queerosphere at the Hilton.

    It was lovely to meet you.

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    • talesfromthemotherland says:
      August 5, 2014 at 8:10 am

      Jenna, Thanks so much for identifying your hot tootsies. I was hoping that more ladies would weigh in, but so fun that you took the time for the reveal. 😉 I appreciate you stopping by Tales From the Motherland!

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  23. Nan Falkner says:
    August 10, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    This is a fun blog Dawn – you are so clever and witty! Love it! Nan 🙂

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  24. Toni Sicola says:
    October 7, 2014 at 9:21 am

    I have to admit, I suck at keeping up with Twitter and just saw your link to this post from BlogHer. My feet are in this post, but I’m going to challenge my friends and fans to guess which feet are my feet so I don’t want to tell you which are mine until after that! 🙂 Thanks for a great post! I was wondering what ever happened to all those feet pics! 🙂

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