Tacky Boots: Fashion, Self-Expression, And the Long-Lasting Impact of Trauma

Image: Chris F, Pexels

One evening, I was waiting in a BART station when a woman did a double-take. She had been talking to someone on her phone while walking past me when she decided to pause and gush over my outfit. Most of her focus was on my shoes, a pair of Victorian-inspired lace-up platform boots that proved to be nearly fatal while navigating the steep inclines of San…