It was on television the other night: the brunette detective had a sleek bob and she sauntered up to the dead body in 4 inch Louboutins. I don't actually know if they were Louboutins, but in novels and magazines Louboutins are the "Scotch tape" of cruel shoes. Does anyone remember Steve Martin's story about cruel shoes? We are now almost 30 years later and women are still strapping themselves into these stilts to accentuate their heels and narrow their instep, a modern equivalent of foot binding. My friend Leora has even written a book about it. - but I digress.
The point I am trying to make is while I expect inaccuracy in television when it comes to the nuances of forensic science (this particular episode had a sniper's rifle bullet that was removed intact with metal forceps - a double whammy!), I would expect costumers to know what the characters should look like. Have you ever seen a cop wear heels? I haven't. Ever. Even at the retirement party I attended a few months ago, both male and female cops wore sensible shoes.
Why? Because when you are a cop, or a forensic pathologist, you never know where your job may call you out to. I have had to navigate shifting docks at the marina, sandy beaches, blood-spattered gravel and cobblestones interspersed with bullet casings, and talus slopes where bodies were dumped, unceremoniously, from moving vehicles. It is hard enough to keep your balance in sneakers let alone fancy shoes.
So while I sometimes envy my friend and author Jenni Holm who boasts on her blog that she goes to work in slippers, I don't envy supermodels. My job is way more interesting anyway.