Shoe
Socially, shoes send a signal, a way of recognizing one type of person from another. Artists often wear shoes that are quite different from those worn by, say engineers. Shoes can tell something about what we are like, sometimes even who we are aspiring to be, the persona we are trying out.
The archetypal symbolism of the shoe goes back to ancient times, when shoes were a mark of authority: rulers had them, slaves didn't. Even today, much of the modern world is taught to make immoderate judgements about a person's intelligence and abilities based on whether he or she wears shoes or not, as well as whether those who wear shoes are "well-heeled" or not.
. . . in the cold north countries where shoes are understood as instruments of survival. Keeping the feet dry and warm keeps a person alive in bitter cold and wet.
The symbol of shoes can be understood as a psychological metaphor; they protect and defend what we stand on --- our feet. In archetypal symbolism, feet represent mobility and freedom. In that sense to have shoes to cover the feet is to have the conviction of our beliefs and the wherewithal to act on them. Without psychic shoes a woman is unable to negotiate inner or outer environs that require acuity, sense, caution, and toughness.
The above excerpt is from "Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. - a fabulous and highly recommended book!
Shoes might represent the lowly and the humble, or authority and power, depending upon the context. Since slaves went barefoot, they might represent liberty. Information taken from: Online Symbolism Dictionary
Tori Says: "I have a love for shoes. I collect them. Race cars, paintings - those aren't my thing. I just hang shoes on the wall. They're architecture, you know?" ~ Entertainment Weekly magazine, 1998
Songs referenced:
Bells for Her