A documentary released last week has revealed a dangerous situation involving women’s shoes. Under new deregulation called the Footwear Freedom Act passed by Congress in 2026, shoe manufacturers are now allowed to require consumers to sign contracts to purchase certain shoes. The new regulations apply to footwear considered fashion-forward, trendy, popular, and stylish—in other words, the shoes most women prefer to buy. Manufacturers note (in very small print) that consumers can avoid having to sign shoe contracts if they are willing to wear off-brand sneakers, imported huaraches, clogs, Ugg knockoffs, or Birkenstocks.
A video crew documented the scene at a Macy’s shoe department in Scottsdale, Arizona, where being well shod is a basic requirement for participating in the local social scene. Most of the shoe clerks seemed stoic about the new rules. A few of the older salesmen looked somewhat uncomfortable as women tried on the latest Ferragamos and began to cry. One young go-getter seemed positively gleeful as he registered a woman to purchase a pair of $800 Manolo Blahniks. Judging by her winces of pain, it was clear her shoes were already trying to kill her. “What have I done?” she wept as she exited the department. “My aching feet! How am I supposed to make it all the way over to housewares? This new law is a travesty.”
The shoe manufacturers have been quick to point out they are only responding to consumer demand. A spokesperson for Nike, Marc Deppert, said, “Women under a certain age have always been willing to suffer for beauty. After about 40, women are more willing to prefer comfort, at least in the privacy of their own homes, you know, wearing house slippers that look like cats, that sort of thing. But women under 40 will wear spike heels and 4-inch platforms even when they are home alone cooking dinner for one. That’s because someone could visit at any moment, and they wouldn’t be caught dead without the proper footwear. It would be social suicide to be seen in Dearfoams.”
So far, news accounts of shoe trouble have been suppressed by retailers and manufacturers. However, some disturbing accounts of trouble with the shoe contracts have appeared recently on social media accounts. For example, one young woman reported that her blue suede Jimmy Choos would not allow her to remove them when she went to bed. “These things dug into my ankles and choked off the circulation to my feet!” she said. “All night long, I kept getting zapped and squeezed. I could hardly walk to the bathroom in the morning.”
We tracked down the woman through a messenging app. When we asked if she had read the fine print on the shoe contract at the time of purchase, she indicated she had not. “I got these shoes for a really important date. I didn’t really consider the consequences. I just knew I had to have them.” When we asked her how the date went, she said she had had so much trouble walking around the park after dinner, her date had finally abandoned her in disgust and she hadn’t heard from him since. “I blame these stupid shoes!” she said, and then a wave of pain crossed her face. “They know I’m talking about them. The straps are tightening. I can feel the buckles digging into my ankles. It’s a relief when my feet finally go numb.”
One story in particular has gone viral. A women filmed herself standing in a toilet in what appeared to be a public restroom, flushing repeatedly and screaming, “Get off me, Gucci! Get off me!” The camera operator was her best friend, who sounded horrified at the proceedings, judging by her shocked moans. She managed to film the entire episode, including the moment when the innocuous-looking slip-ons finally let go of the woman’s feet and floated in circles in the toilet. The woman fell on the floor and her friend zoomed in on her bloody swollen feet for a moment, before circling back to show the floating shoes, now ruined. The final scene before the video stopped was the woman picking up her phone to check a message and screaming, “Nordstrom’s dinged my credit card $20,000 for breaking the contract!”
Some consumer advocates are blaming the new shoe deregulation for creating cult-like behavior among shoe consumers, promoted by shoe manufacturers and retailers. A spokesperson for retailer TJ Maxx declined to comment. A Kohl’s representative said in a statement that consumers had already had a cult-like relationship with footwear. “For many consumers, shoes represent identity and self-worth. Retailers and manufacturers did not create that need, we are simply responding to the demands of the marketplace. This is American capitalism at its best.”
Doctors have noted that although the problems seem to affect mostly women, men are not immune from the manipulative effects of advertising, especially during the busy holiday shopping season. “Peer pressure from friends and family can tempt even the most comfort-conscious man into purchasing shoes because he believes they will boost his social standing. It’s propaganda, as we all know, but consumers are easily persuaded when self-esteem is at stake. We recommend anyone who is considering signing a contract to purchase a pair of designer shoes, please consult a mental health professional first, to make sure you understand the consequences of your purchase. Some contracts are very hard to undo, and the results can be devastating, leading to self-harm or even suicide.”
The U.S. Senate has proposed an amendment to the American Footwear Freedom Act to require a warning label be attached to the soles of all designer footwear, stating that wearing certain shoes can be habit-forming and lead to serious negative health consequences, including loss of mobility caused by broken ankles, bunions, and ingrown toenails; impaired mental stability leading to irrational outbursts of anger; and death.