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What is a Shoefie? Here’s an in-depth definition!

What is a Shoefie? Here’s an in-depth definition!

What is a Shoefie?

What is a Shoefie - Definition

I use the word “shoefie” probably more often than I should. But over the past few weeks (and much to my surprise) I’ve noticed many new friends & acquaintances looking at me dumbfounded. “Shoefie” they ask? What is a shoefie? Which, quite franky, puzzles me as I was under the impression that this term had made its way into mainstream (read: non-fashion/ shoe blogger) vocabulary. Apparently, it has not.

Funny enough, everyone knows what a “selfie” is. Kim Kardashian just published a book full of them, for crying out loud. But hold on. Maybe I’ve stumped you again & you don’t know what a selfie is? Oh boy…

Considering the word “shoefie” derives &/or is inspired from “selfie”, let me correctly define the former for you:

Selfie: definition – noun [pronounced: sell-fee]: a photograph that one has taken of one's face, typically with a smartphone or electronic camera of some sort, to share over social networking websites

Teenagers may have started the selfie trend, but everyone & their grandma seems to be taking them as of late. I am happy not to include myself in the mix. My face doesn't quite cut it up-close. There's a reason why I take shoefies & blog about shoes instead!

What is a Shoefie - Definition

Back to shoefie. Essentially, a shoefie does for shoes what a selfie does for a face. Your face. Your shoes. A shoefie is along the same vein as a selfie, but instead of angling the camera towards your face, you snap a pic of shoe-donning feet. Some people like to call it a “shoeselfie” but that term is becoming increasingly passé in my books. Call it shoe blogger snobbist, or whateves.  

So let's move onto the definition of “shoefie”:

Shoefie definition – noun [pronounced: shoe-fee]: a selfie of the shoes you’re currently wearing.

More specifically: a picture you take of yourself wearing shoes, snapped for the purpose of sharing the image on social media channels

what is a shoefie green clover shoes

There are many ways to take a shoefie. Some, featured in this portion of the post, are your standard #fromwhereistand & #viewfromabove variety. These are the most common, but people, especially IG users are becoming increasingly creative. You can now find “complex”, prop-adorned shoefies including flowers, fashion accessories, cupcakes & whathaveyou.

I've seen some strange shoefies, let me tell you! But as long as you're wearing them shoes & snapping a picture of them yourself, it is a “shoefie”; no matter how much or how little (just not too little!) of your shoes  you're showing off.

What is a shoefie - definition 1

These are NOT Shoefies

More often than not, a shoefie is mistaken simply as a fancy-schmancy term for a picture someone has taken of their shoes. But to actually qualify as “shoefie” material, you must not only take a pic of shoes, but you wearing those shoes as well.

I see a slew of pictures on Instagram with the #shoefie hashtag that need not apply. Maybe people are tagging it to photos because the term is popular with a total of 244,888 tags to date (been there, done that)? Or maybe users just don't know what a “shoefie” is? Thank goodness I'm here to clear that up, Ha!

Here are examples of non-shoefies:

1. Picture of you holding your shoes

what is not a shoefie

This is a pretty cute pic of my fave summer chunky heels & although I'm holding one of these in my hand and it is my shoe, it is not a shoefie. Not on my feet, not a shoefie!

2. Picture of your shoes in your house

What is a Shoefie - Not a Shoefie

Pretty shoes on a bed, carpet or garden doesn't a shoefie make. Even if they are captured by you, in all of their glory, in your home. Your feet in the shoes themselves are a basic requirement!

3. Picture of you wearing your shoes, taken by someone else

shoefie definition

Isn't this a great shot of me in my hot pink shoes? Yes, it surely is, but as I can't give myself any photo credit for this one (my photog Conrad Collaco can!) it ain't another shoefie. No siree!

So thanks to my very confused non-fashion blogger friends for inspiring this post! I hope you're now all able to hold your heads up high & use the word “shoefie” in your daily musings about fashion. Just be aware of those around you who might just ask “what is a shoefie“? But I'm confident you're now more than prepared to answer that pressing question 😉

Did you know what a shoefie was before reading this post? If so, are those around you often confused by the term as some of my Torontonian friends?

xo Cristina

PS: I would kindly ask autocorrect to get with the program & stop with the swirly red underline of the world “shoefie”. I mean, come on, haven't we already resolved the fact that it is, in fact, a word?!

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Pete

Thursday 1st of October 2015

Ha ha ha . I've been doing this for years and thought I was the only one ! Ps. I wear trainers not heels :)

ShoeTease

Tuesday 19th of January 2016

There are many of us around hahaha, whether wearing sneakers of heels ;) xo Cristina

#MiistaShoefie | MIISTA

Monday 24th of August 2015

[…] defined by ShoeTease a Shoefie – noun [pronounced: shoo-fee] is a selfie of the shoes you’re currently wearing, […]

Sharon

Sunday 16th of August 2015

I had never heard the term, Cristina. Thanks for educating me. :) I thought so much about your recent post about the shoes that will be popular this fall after seeing a pair of dove grey pair of heels yesterday with the most interesting heels. They were made of metal and were circles stacked on top of each other. I was so sad when I realized size 7 had sold out. Your posts are so impactful. Have a great week.

ShoeTease

Wednesday 19th of August 2015

So glad you got shoefie-schooled, Sharon!! The grey shoes sound fantastic. I hope they pop up on your blog soon :)

xo Cristina

Mercy

Thursday 13th of August 2015

Wow!!this is an interesting post,very informative.I swear i would have said the photo with pink heels was a shoefie.

ShoeTease

Thursday 13th of August 2015

Thanks so much! There are so many "shoefies" out there that aren't actually shoefies (and so many people that don't know what the term means!). So I thought, with a nudge from my non-blogger friends, to write this post. Glad you liked it :)

xo Cristina