Summary
Shoes: Laurie Taylor explores their cultural history and sociological meanings. He's joined by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Tim Edwards, Honorary Fellow in Sociology at the University of Leicester and Naomi Braithwaite, Senior Lecturer in the School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.3 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:36.2 | I'm Laurie Taylor and this is Thinking Aloud from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:40.8 | Show me the shoes you're wearing and I'll tell you who you are. |
| 0:45.0 | I like to believe that my choice of friends is based upon a careful assessment of their character, |
| 0:50.0 | but a new book on the history and meaning of footwear has disturbingly reminded me that I definitely draw the line at hanging around with any man who wore socks with sandals, or indeed any woman who tucked her jeans inside her calf length boots. |
| 1:05.0 | And frankly I'm not all that keen on people who wear solid brown Oxford bros or floppy moccasins |
| 1:11.0 | or those squishy soul shoes which look as though the wearer has only recently emerged from a Neolithic swamp |
| 1:17.3 | And now I come to think about it I find I also have little time for late middle-aged men with low-level office jobs to affect the sort of elaborate thonged |
| 1:25.2 | boots normally reserved for intrepid mountaineers. |
| 1:29.2 | And there's one other category I'd like to cite, even though I realize having checked it out this morning from the lower deck of a London bus that it will dispose of roughly half the human race but it still has to be said that I doubt I could ever embark upon any sort of meaningful relationship |
| 1:44.4 | with anyone who constantly day after day wore trainers white black red blue silver |
| 1:50.2 | sparkly whatever |
| 1:51.6 | when they were not actually, well, training. But time now, certainly |
| 1:56.8 | time now to turn to the book that prompted this, well this prejudicial litany. |
| 2:02.2 | Its title issues the meaning of style. is Elizabeth Semulchle Hymelhach, who now joins me on the line from Toronto |
... |
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