The Myth of the Pair: What Selling Single Shoes Teaches Us About Our Imperfect Selves

You know that feeling when something just clicks? When an idea comes to light that perfectly articulates a truth you’ve felt but couldn't quite name? For me, it happened recently when I came across one of the most read article's on BBC News at the time, "Why I want Nike, Adidas and Puma to sell single shoes". I was intrigued, so I started reading.

On the surface, it's about footwear, accessibility and consumer choice for individuals who only need one shoe, or two different sizes. But beneath that, it sparked a deeper reflection for me about something that I couldn't unsee: the societal pressure to always appear as a "perfect pair," even when we feel like a single, imperfect shoe on the inside.

The unseen pressure to be 'whole'

We live in a world that subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly, expects us to be perfectly balanced, fully functional and always 'on'. We’re encouraged to present a seamless, complete picture of ourselves - just like a brand new pair of matching shoes. For many of the individuals I work with, they're often described as 'the strong one' by those around them. They are the ones always holding everything together. They are incredible but the pressure is immense and actually, quite often they may feel as though it wasn't their choice. That if they didn't hold it together, no one else would.

Appearing 'fine' on the outside, sometimes means on the inside you might be quietly navigating a different story. A story of:

• Overthinking and relentless self-criticism

• The exhaustion of people-pleasing and struggling to set boundaries

• A profound sense of emotional disconnection, even when surrounded by others

• The internal loneliness of feeling "fed up" with constantly performing

  
  

In these moments, you might feel like you're only one half of a 'pair'. As though your inner world doesn't quite match up to the polished exterior you try to present. As society (tied to your own inner critic) demands a perfect pair, you attempt to hide the 'single shoe' state that you feel - the vulnerability, the fatigue, the genuine needs - which means you bottle up the fear of being seen as incomplete.

Imperfect doesn't equal incomplete

But let me tell you. You don't need to find a matching shoe to be complete. Therapy, in many ways, is about rejecting the myth of perfection. It's about accepting that your unique, complex reality is not a flaw, but simply your reality. It's about recognising that you don't need to force yourself to fit into a standardised box to feel 'whole'.

The power I felt in this article wasn't just about practical retail solutions, it was about acknowledging and validating a unique and legitimate need that the mainstream market has overlooked. Similarly to how we often overlook parts of ourselves - the parts we feel don't 'fit in'.

If any of this feels familiar to you and you'd like to start embracing and enjoying your reality, instead of trying to push it down - give yourself the space to do so by booking in a free consultation with me here: https://calendly.com/lucy-littleoasistherapy/consultation

Thanks for reading, see you next time.

To read the original BBC article, click here: Just do it: Why I want Nike, Puma and Adidas to sell single shoes - BBC News