There they were. In bright colors and attractive styles all lined up in front of me. The idea of merely trying them on was tempting. I picked one and slipped my foot in. “Perfect,” I told myself while reaching for the other. “Ok, I am also getting these,” I told myself again. But a hidden voice inside my head was urging me to try some more. What is the harm in just checking them out and see what they would look like? Thirty minutes later I was happily leaving the store with four lovely pairs of shoes.

Shoe shopping always puts a smile on my face. On my bluest days buying a pair cheers me up. It also works as a self-treat. My husband had some complaints but it never really suppressed my addiction. On the contrary, I have tried passing it on to him. He gave up eventually and I sure owe a lot to “Sex and the City”. The show may be history now but it will live on forever with all the statements made.

This whole matter was once brought up when I was moaning about a pair of shoes that my husband got rid of mistakenly. That is when a friend asked me how many pairs of shoes I had. He expressed his astonishment for losing shoes without noticing their disappearance immediately. Well, never before have I thought about counting. So, he begged me to do so.

As I was taking off my shoes when I got back home, his question flashed in front of me. I looked at all the boxes lurking on the floor, which I can no longer fit in my shoe closet, and started counting. Suddenly, I stopped counting at number 68. There was obviously more counting to do but I could not bring myself to go on.

I certainly do not stand alone in this. Remember Imelda Marcos the queen of footwear? Everybody finds pleasure in buying certain things. While men get so excited about gadgets perhaps, for women it is shoes. Our average wardrobes are not stuffed with as many clothes as shoes.

The obsession can reach even further as in the new foot surgery that narrows the feet to fit easily in the new trendy pointed shoes. Some are certainly ready to put up with the pain and soreness only to enjoy wearing a lovely pair. But how did we all get ourselves into this addiction?

Personally, it is very hard for me to trace the beginning of my obsession. Especially when it is common between my friends. We have been buying shoes all our life without ever noticing the oddity. But the large amount we have can be justified when you count the mules, the pumps, the boots, the sneakers and the list goes on.

It is even more understandable for working women to have more shoes. When there are the comfortable, flat ones for daily use and the lavish ones, which they spoil themselves with later. How can we possibly cut down on buying shoes when there are too many kinds and colors for every occasion and season?

It is also hard to throw away something you really liked or something you paid good money for. We tend to keep lots of shoes that are out-of- date. So we go ahead and buy new ones adding up to what we already have before and the number keeps multiplying. In terms of fashion, shoes are essential fashion items that have their right.

Age must have something to do with this spree I believe. When we were so young we have all settled for a few pairs of basic color. And when we grow older eventually comfort will be our sole target when buying footwear. Until then, it is an extravaganza that many women happily enjoy.

My best friend once told me that the only thing that could hold her back from buying shoes she really likes was their high price. But again, it’s not much of a good technique.

At the end of the day, how many of us are able to resist a nice pair of Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo or Sergio Rossi?

I may be accused of having a shoe fetish but I still believe it is a woman thing.