Skechers Shape-Ups: I’m gonna wear them for the “wrong” reasons

5th May 2010

Skechers Shape-Ups: I’m gonna wear them for the “wrong” reasons

You’ve probably seen the commercials for Skechers Shape-Ups or Reebok Easytone shoes that promise to tone your calves and firm your butt, right? If not, here’s a quick refresher: Reebok’s ad features an attractive spokeslady who has obviously done more than walking to achieve her athletic figure, and the camera man is (apparently) so infatuated with her butt that he can’t take his eyes off it. Skechers debuted Shape-Ups during the Super Bowl, with Joe Montana talking about how these shoes have improved his strength. Really?? I’m not sure which is worse, Joe Montana endorsing a pair of shoes or Dan Marino talking about how great he feels after losing weight on NutriSystem. Seeing these otherwise respectable figures doing this kind of shit that makes me laugh and puke in disgust at the same time.

However, now that I’ve said that, I have a confession: I recently bought a pair of Skecher’s Shape-Ups. Yes, after months of making fun of Joe Montana for pimping these things, I just had to try them out. Damn those commercials for sticking in my brain. Sometime last week, I decided out of the blue that I wanted a new pair of shoes. Internet window shopping has been a guilty pleasure of mine for years, but somehow I took this low moment of impulsivity to its conclusion and actually bought a pair.

I typically want a shoe that is comfy and good for lots of walking, so for the last couple of years, I have bought Merrells. I put two pairs through hell and they kept on asking for more, but I retired them anyway when they started looking more like roadkill and less like shoes. On a side note, the Keen sandals I bought five years ago are still kicking and great as ever, and their sneakers lasted me a couple of years as well. The more rational side of me would have stayed with what has been tried and true, but those damn Skechers were featured on every site I was looking at as the “hottest new thing.” Why that didn’t scare me off, I don’t know. Usually, anything that’s trendy instantly turns me off, but noooo, not this time. This time I caved in and took a look at them. Advertising won this round.

Aside from all the yackety-yack about weight loss and a firmer butt – which experts claim isn’t true anyway – these shoes also boast better posture and blood circulation, which I’ll admit I could use if the claims are for real. These side effects come from the “kinetic wedge technology” which Skechers claims is like walking on sand. This changes the way you walk, and in effect, makes your legs work harder while you walk – hence the claim for weight loss, firmer muscles, better posture and circulation, etc. I likened the effect to the days in the early 2000s when I wore Street Flyers to and fro. After I found out I couldn’t roller skate for shit, I wore them anyway because they were heavy little boots. Walking around in them made me exert more energy while I was walking around and doing things I would have been doing anyway. Why not?

Why not indeed. I connected the dots between my Street Flyers and the Skechers Shape-Ups and thought to myself, “I’ll be walking around campus all summer, so this could be a convenient way to stay in shape. If I really hate them, I can return them and pretend it never happened.”

Click.

Less than two minutes later, I became the owner of a brand-new pair of Skechers Shape-Ups.

As I waited for my shoes to arrive in the mail, I frequently questioned why the hell I bought these damn things when I really shouldn’t have dropped that kind of money on something I didn’t need. Impulse buys are rarely smart decisions, so thoughts of how I would justify it tortured me throughout last week. “What a waste,” I thought. “Even if I return them, I still have to pay postage to send them back. What was I thinking?! What will my husband think when he sees them? He makes fun of them just as much as I do!”

Another voice in my head said, “Just try them. You might like them.”

Yes, I do have voices in my head and they argue with each other constantly. It’s maddening. And no, these aren’t the kind of voices that go away with medication. I’ve tried.

Anyway…

The shoes arrived yesterday. I took them out of their box, laced ‘em up and put them on carefully with all tags still attached; that way, if I did return them, they’d still look brand-new. I stood up. That’s when I discovered the “kinetic wedge technology, which is located near the middle of your foot. This causes you to exaggerate the heel-to-toe motion you make when walking. At first, it felt weird, like I was standing on little balance balls embedded in my shoes. It did not feel like walking on sand. I don’t know where Skechers got that crazy idea, but I’ve walked on sand before and this wasn’t it. The silver lining, however, was that since I wasn’t actually walking on sand, my feet weren’t filthy after a few steps. That was nice.

I walked around. Skechers does warn you that getting used to Shape-Ups might take some time, but I found that the learning curve wasn’t a huge deal. I liken it to walking around on a boat: at first, you’re a little unsteady, but you adjust quickly. Much to my surprise, I found them incredibly comfortable. I took a stroll around the house and decided that I would put them to the real test tomorrow while running around town.

That’s what I did today, and I’m actually pleased to say that the Shape-Ups passed the test. In fact, I love them. For as much walking as I do, comfort is the ultimate feature I want in a pair of shoes, and these are insanely comfortable. They really are easier on my joints as the ads claim, and I did notice that it was easier to stand up straight in them. Major brownie points if they alter my posture for the better. As for everything else, I really don’t give a damn if they give me an amazing butt. I doubt they’ll make me lose weight – for one thing, they aren’t much heavier than a regular pair of shoes, so there goes my Shape-Ups/Street Flyers connection. Second, after walking around in the Shape-Ups today, my muscles weren’t sore. It will take lots of walking – in these shoes or any other pair of shoes – to lose any weight, and since I won’t be trying, I doubt it will happen. I’m quite all right with that. I feel better knowing that I’m not wearing these shoes for the trendy reason and wearing them for the same reason I’d wear any other pair of shoes I like: They’re comfy!

Oh, and for those of you that were wondering, here’s how things went down with my husband:

“You bought Shape-Ups?”

“Yep.”

Pause.

“Don’t judge. I know I’m a hypocrite. You needn’t say anything.”

“I’m not judging,” he said with a smirk that said it all. And of course, he is right.

Cross-posted on Oh, the Profanity!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Charlynn, Fitness/Exercise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On May 5th, 2010, farmer said:

I admit I’ve been curious about those shoes. They really are advertised everywhere. I also admit to buying a pair of those ugly FitFlops last summer. But those flip flops are SO COMFY that I’ve even hiked in them. They are very supportive & are my favorite summer shoes!

posted on May 5th, 2010 at 5:07 pm

2 On May 5th, 2010, lilacsigil said:

Walking around in them made me exert more energy while I was walking around and doing things I would have been doing anyway. Why not?

Also, why? Why would you want to exert more energy doing your everyday tasks? Wouldn’t you want to save that energy to do more things? I really don’t understand this point.

posted on May 5th, 2010 at 11:02 pm

3 On May 6th, 2010, Tintin said:

I bought a pair of Reebok Easy tone shoes just this weekend! Dunno if all the stuff about ‘toning’ is true
(probably not) but the balance balls on the bottoms add a lot of bounce to your walk/jog. They’re kind of fun! Plus, they’re cute shoes. I’ve been having trouble with my knees at the gym treadmill, so I’m hoping the bounciness will offset some of the pressure when I land on my heels while jogging.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 12:42 am

4 On May 6th, 2010, Tintin said:

If Reebok advertised these shoes for joint relief, I’d probably be more willing to endorse them. But so far I agree with your assessment of the Sketchers shoes ( I think they use the same tech). They’re comfy and seem easier on joints, so why not?

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 12:48 am

5 On May 6th, 2010, Scott said:

This is the kind of thing for me where the advertising would completely turn me off the product even if it was excellent. The BS they’re hawking would just eradicate any interest, why reward them for it? That’s a personal decision obviously and I am in no way disapproving of your choice.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 2:12 am

6 On May 6th, 2010, Slim said:

I have plantar fasciitis, and I bought some MBTs (same concept at the Skechers) because I heard they would help. They do. They haven’t made my body look any different, except that I’m not limping because my heel hurts. But when I’m at rest, I doubt any commercial camera operator is going to be lingering over my butt. Bonus!

And as to why someone would want to exert more energy — well, for me, I *like* exerting energy. My body feels better when it gets moved more.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 7:45 am

7 On May 6th, 2010, mccn said:

I am curious – I tried on a pair of shoes with the curvy bottoms (I don’t think they were called shape-ups, but they made the same claims) – and the reason I decided not to buy them is that I’m extremely noncoordinated, and often I stumble or slip, and I feel like the reason I don’t actually fall more is that I wear shoes that I can feel the ground through my feet – puma flat trainers or very thin women’s dress flats. I can feel my toes grab at the ground when I trip, and don’t go down. I was worried that the curvy bottoms would mean I would fall more. Have you done any stumbling in them? What do you think?

PS – I once, quite literally, I promise, tripped on a banana peel. I live Mario Kart.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 9:12 am

8 On May 6th, 2010, queenaeron said:

I’m glad I’m not the only person who has voices in her head. Mine is my therapist. I’ve told her many times that someday I’m going to be committed because they’ll ask me if I hear voices and I’m going to have to say yes and it will be her fault!

As for why you might want to exert more energy when you are walking and doing things, I don’t get enough exercise. I hate walking and running. I do love swimming and biking. Except that I hate getting ready for swimming and the clean up afterwards and the last time I got on a bike, I promptly fell off and twisted my ankle. Now, I’m terrified to get back on one. I’m going to have to suck it up and get back on a bike, because I hate fearing things I use to love). Anyway I can sneak extra exercise into my day, I’m going to latch onto like a baby to a pacifier!

I was thinking about those shoes myself. I just bought new New Balance shoes and I think they have that new technology in some of their shoes. I ended up with regular New Balance, but I’d definitely be interested in how you like those shoes in a few weeks or months.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 9:34 am

9 On May 6th, 2010, Lady Di said:

Oh come on, if they are comfy wear them-you deserve them and if they make your feet feel good then why not? At least you are not parading around claiming to have “awesome butt shoes.” and just because you bought them doesn’t make you a bad person!

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 10:07 am

10 On May 6th, 2010, Rachel said:

FYI, there’s a discussion going on now at Girl Get Strong about the Reebok ads and whether or not they’re sexist and dehumanizing to women (I vote yes).

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 10:55 am

11 On May 6th, 2010, JennyRose said:

I do remember the fit flop discussion had here a while back. So, do they help with posture? I am a terrible slouch and I am working on that. I live in the city and love to walk plus some times it is the easiest way around.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 12:40 pm

12 On May 6th, 2010, Charlynn said:

lilacsigil – You make a great point. In answer to your question, I thought the extra energy exertion would be beneficial because I was in an office job where I sat around a lot. I didn’t feel like I was getting much exercise, so this helped me keep some strength and endurance.

mccn – “My life is Mario Kart.” – LOL @ that comment. I love that game. I’m not the most coordinated person, either, as evidenced by random bruises that suddenly appear my legs from bumping into things all the time. I don’t have any problem staying balanced on these shoes at all and I am actually more at ease while walking because of the way the shoes make me walk more heel-to-toe. I’d try a pair on and see how you feel in them. They might be just the thing to keep you from stumbling around…or not…but you never know until you try.

JennyRose – I find that the Sketchers really do help me improve my posture, while wearing them *and* when not. I notice that I am not as much of a slouch, which thrills me because I’ve definitely not had the best posture since spending hours on my couch while taking online classes the last few months. I’m thrilled that this has been a real effect thus far.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 1:19 pm

13 On May 6th, 2010, FatNSassy said:

Well good for her if she likes them. I gave up my car years ago and walk to get where I am going. This product, like the gym, is for people of a certain socio-economic status that have never had to wear cheap shoes while hauling groceries and walking miles in the rain. In other words, who do not HAVE to deal with the physical hardness of life. When exercise becomes a must instead of an option, one gets a totally different perspective, better butt or not.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

14 On May 6th, 2010, Liza said:

I had been wondering if these would help with my plantar fasciitis (thanks, Slim!). I really don’t like the way the Sketchers or MBTs look, and the Reebok ads bother me enough to make me not buy those, so I’m not sure what to do. I should probably get over my vanity and try them…whichever are the cheapest, which I am assuming are the Sketchers.

posted on May 6th, 2010 at 8:04 pm

15 On May 7th, 2010, Michelle Zive said:

Seriously, comfy outweighs (Ha!) everything. I love elastic waistbands, jogging outfits…even if I’m not jogging, oversized t-shirts and jeans, and tennis shoes. My kids have to remind me I’m only forty-six and not ninety-six and that I’m still cool. I still manage to sneak in the comfy factor. I throw in the research that shows that people who dress in comfy clothes and shoes are more likely to be active…so there you have it.

posted on May 7th, 2010 at 12:23 am

16 On May 7th, 2010, Angela said:

I’ve also seen these things in catalogs and just about everywhere else but after hurting my knee last year I’m scared to death that I would stumble and fall in them, only making an already bad situation worse. Keep in mind that I’m someone who never learned how to walk in heels(I seriously think that’s a skill you have to learn when very young or you don’t learn it). I did however shell out the money for a pair of Spira shoes. I’d seen them years ago at a place that I worked for when they first came out and then after the knee injury saw them again and decided to try a pair. They are very easy on the joints and helped me to get back up and moving after the knee injury. I’m very happy with them and am going to stick with them until the Shape-ups end up at thrift stores for me to try and then I only intend on trying them out in a well padded area.

posted on May 7th, 2010 at 2:37 am

17 On May 7th, 2010, DulcetDiscord said:

I’m an avid fan of the Walt Disney World parks in Orlando, FL. So much so that I plan to move there soon. The number one problem I’ve had there is with my feet. They get sore and hot and swell up like a dry sponge plunged into a bucket of water.

On my most recent excursion to the parks, I was chatting up a woman in line who happened to be wearing Shape-ups. I’d barely even heard of sketchers version of the “better-butt” shoe, but she was a mother of 6 and 9 year old boys, so I figured she’d be doing A LOT more walking than I would. I told her how much I had liked all of my previous sketchers shoes, and asked if the Shape-ups were that good. She raved. And Raved. And positively insisted that the next time I needed shoes I should try them. So after that particular day of walking revealed that I did in fact need new shoes, I went to one of the Sketchers outlets and tried on a pair.

I instantly loved them. When I’m standing on them they disperse my weight more evenly than any other shoe I’ve ever worn (including a pedorthic pair I tried), and when I’m sitting I can rest my whole foot by balancing on the back of them.

They do take some getting used to, and after the first full day of wearing them (standing, sitting, walking, standing, walking, standing, sitting, etc. for 8+ hours) my calves and thighs BURNED, but now I barely notice them. Unless of course I’ve been drinking, in which case I’m practically guaranteed to wobble on them, though I’ve yet to actually fall over.

They’re not cheap shoes, I believe they presently retail for $120, but I got mine for $100 at the outlet store I went to. And now there’s a whole line of designs for them too. You can get Shape-up sandals, sneakers, or even boots!

posted on May 7th, 2010 at 12:05 pm

18 On May 7th, 2010, At least patriarchy is comfortable! said:

So a product is sold through fat-shame and the f word blog gives it a fawning endorsement. Nice.

posted on May 7th, 2010 at 2:34 pm

19 On May 8th, 2010, DulcetDiscord said:

@patriarchy

I don’t think they’re marketed through fat-shame as much as thin-glory, but maybe that’s getting into semantics. The commercials I’ve seen all point towards how they *supposedly* tone your legs and butt while also improving your posture. Yeah, they also claim that it’s like getting exercise while just doing your normal walking around (with the implication of, “why aren’t you exercising on top of your regular schedule you lazy idiot”) but I don’t think that it’s targeted specifically to fat people. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I don’t think I’ve heard any crazy stories about how it helped *satisfied client A* lose X inches, just how it made her butt firmer. Frankly I don’t care about the SIZE of my ass, but it would be nice to have a FIRM one.

Plus, like I said before, they’re comfortable and not horrendously ugly, unlike a certain other fad shoe ::ahemCROCSahem:: I can recall. In my book comfort is king and style his queen, and if one of them has a bastard son in marketing I’m willing to overlook him as long as they still reign justly.

posted on May 8th, 2010 at 5:07 am

20 On May 9th, 2010, twincats said:

I also have plantar faschiitis and am always looking for shoes to help that because I work on my feet. I currently switch between Merrill’s and Crocs but if the Sketchers help with posture, too, well count me in!

I’m off to peruse ShoeBuy…

posted on May 9th, 2010 at 7:46 pm

21 On May 10th, 2010, WendyRG said:

I have two pairs of MBTs (shoes and sandals). They were the original shoes of this type, said to imitate the barefoot walking of the Masai in Africa. They were horribly expensive. I’m sure much more expensive than the Sketchers.

I have some major arthritis issues and I do like them, however, I find that I cannot wear them safely when taking the bus or the subway unless I am sitting or holding onto something for dear life. Keeping your balance in a swaying bus or subway car is quite the feat.

posted on May 10th, 2010 at 5:38 pm

22 On May 12th, 2010, Sarah said:

My mom bought a pair of these for their sheer comfort – I put them on and could not BELIEVE how ridiculously comfortable they are. They feel like walking on baby clouds – it’s heaven.

posted on May 12th, 2010 at 4:08 pm

23 On May 14th, 2010, Moe said:

I have an Achilles injury that I’m in physio for and have wondered if these shoes would over extend or actually help. Do you feel any tension in your Achilles while wearing them? Or is that part of you maintaining control over them?

posted on May 14th, 2010 at 2:22 pm

24 On July 18th, 2010, John said:

Kids,theyve become the latest thing at my work place! Honestly they have become popular at the hospital where I work. I have a pair and I like them. If I thought that they could do all thats claimed Id wear them to bed and the shower! But they have seemed to helped my arthritic knees.Ill put that down to the exrta high arch and extra cushioning. The ones I have are for work,but In thinking about another everyday street ware pair. Last thing I need and can afford are new shoes,especially at thier high price,but as said-they really seem to help,and luckily I can get them through work and pay roll deduction.I was going to get the Wal Mart or Pay Less knock offs,but if youre gonna buy,buy right . Will add that the built in rocking motion was not a problem for me as ive heard it might be for others.

posted on July 18th, 2010 at 8:02 pm

25 On September 14th, 2010, Miriam said:

I have two pairs and I’m getting a third. I hope they never stop making them! They are “insanely comfortable”. And I have lousy coordination, but no problem walking or standing in these. I just wish they would design them to be better looking – they’re either glitzy-trendy or klutzy looking with plasticky-looking leather. I want a basic walking shoe and the nicest looking ones right now seem to be the men’s XW Mover, so I’m getting those next.

posted on September 14th, 2010 at 1:38 am

26 On November 14th, 2010, jaci said:

I got my first Shape ups in March..I love them..I have 3 pairs now! and guess what has just been discovered! I am in Physical therapy for a “mystery” ailment that involves severe glut, thigh, hip pain…I mean it is on going, and so severe I can not sleep at night..BUT all day I am walking along doing fine in my sketcher shape ups…10-14 hr days! Some days up to 8 miles! DO NOT wear these shoes more than 2-3 hours a day! You can cause serious “over use syndrome” in your gluts, hamstrings, thighs, etc! I am now BANNED from wearing them for a month to see just how much muscle damage I have!

PS My Physical therapist says he can not believe how tone, and muscular I am at 50 having just lost 80#’s this year! Well DUH…all those hours in these shoes did help..it just helped TOO much!

posted on November 14th, 2010 at 10:48 pm