by Renna Madison

Created on: June 13, 2008

I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to shoes, I am extremely picky. The most important quality in a shoe to me is comfort. I was willing to sacrifice comfort for style when I was younger, but that's all changed since I started closing the gap on 40. However, I am not so far gone that I can't appreciate those who are willing to put up with sore feet in order to look good. The thing that is hard for me to understand is wearing shoes that are both uncomfortable and ugly. With that in mind, here are my picks for the three worst shoe trends in history.

BIRKENSTOCK SANDALS

I was never drawn to Birkenstocks because I'm just not a sandal person. Even if I were going to wear sandals, I'd like to think that there are enough varieties in this type of footwear on the market that I could find one that was a little bit prettier. But one day I was shoe shopping in San Francisco and having a rough time trying to find something that felt good on my feet. I have very high arches and this makes shopping for shoes quite the ordeal.

I explained my situation to the saleswoman at the shoe store. She asked me if I had ever tried Birkenstock sandals. I told her that I didn't think they would suit me very well. I have to say that she did one of the best jobs in sales history convincing me that I was wrong. She told me how perfect they would be for me since they were designed to conform to my individual foot. "You'll get used to the appearance," she said. After thinking about it a little, I decided to give them a try. Sure, they were ugly, but if they would adjust and conform to my feet the way that she said they would, I would make myself deal with their less than attractive appearance.

I bought the shoes and I wore them everywhere I went for the next three days. That's how long I was told it would take for the sandals to conform to my feet. I guess that I have a slightly different definition of "conform" than she did. Then I thought that perhaps my feet were just special and it would take a little longer so I continued wearing them for another three days. All they did was make my feet ache more than usual. They certainly never conformed to them. Now, they're sitting in that portion of my closet that I call the shoe graveyard. I should throw them away, but I can't seem to make myself. I figure, if nothing else, they might make a good weapon someday.

JELLIES

Jelly shoes became popular when I was in junior high school. As I was young and impressionable (and all my friends had them),

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