There
was a time when men shined their own shoes. The black polish was a
household item that was regularly purchased. There was a sense of pride, professionalism,
and manliness connected with having shoes that shined. I like to think
that even blue collar workers, who may not have been able to afford authentic
shoe polish, would use a lump of coal they mined as makeshift polish. I imagine that after a long shift, deep within the Earth's crust, deeper than most have
even been, while waiting for the old steal cage elevator, the men sit down in the mine, break up some of the cherished coal to clean and shine their shoes. When the men come up the elevator, shielding their eyes as they are
blinded by that first glimpse of sunlight, their clothes, which are made of rags, and their
faces are dirty from a lifestyle of manual labor. But they have clean shoes that have been shined.
This
scene has probably never happened.
Men’s shoes today are mostly made of “pleather” and do not even need shining. For those who purchase genuine leather shoes, I’m guessing they get their shoes shined by the little booths in malls and hotels. Just like changing the oil in our cars, we get someone else to do it because it is easier and more convenient.
Men’s shoes today are mostly made of “pleather” and do not even need shining. For those who purchase genuine leather shoes, I’m guessing they get their shoes shined by the little booths in malls and hotels. Just like changing the oil in our cars, we get someone else to do it because it is easier and more convenient.
The
next challenge in the "30 Days To a Better Man" called for
aspiring men to shine their shoes. The
shiniest day for my dress shoes has been the first day I bought them. When I read about this challenge I immediately
thought of the scene from The Shawshank
Redemption where Red is speaking about how Andy is wearing the warden’s
shoes and nobody notices: “…Andy did
like he was told, buffed those shoes to a high mirror shine. The guards simply
didn't notice. Neither did I... I mean, seriously, how often do you really look
at a man’s shoes?...” When I read the description
of the challenge, in the first line, they mention this exact quote. This got me even more excited.
I bought some Kiwi shoe polish, grabbed my dress shoes and a rag and thought of the history behind this practice and of my future of having shiny shoes, I went to work.
I bought some Kiwi shoe polish, grabbed my dress shoes and a rag and thought of the history behind this practice and of my future of having shiny shoes, I went to work.
Here
are some pictures.
Before
After
Now the shiniest day for my dress shoes is today.
