I have a little story about a pair of shoes (super manly stuff right?). I had an event to go to and spent a bunch of cash on a nice pair of brown low cut dress boots with a square toe. They look amazing on me. For about a week before the event I wore them around and found they hurt like hell. This was not due to them being small or anything, but rather a manufactures defect the tongue of the right boot that grinds into the top of my right foot. The rational thing to have done would have been to take them back. I had time to do so before the event. I didn't do that.

I instead went to the event and spent 20 hour straight on my feet. By the end of the day my foot was bruised purple and my sock was covered in blood. My boss (who is a women) saw it when she came to my hotel room to ask about work things and flipped out on my for not getting it taken care of it.

Then comes opportunity 2 to take care of it. The rational thing to do would be to take the shoes back, say what happened, and get a proper pair. I paid a good bit for the shoes, I'm bleeding, and I have every right to get a good pair. I still didn't do the rational thing.

I pulled out a knife and tried to get the cut the tongue in a way that it wouldn't be stabbing me like crazy. That didn't work. Probably because I have no actually knowledge about shoes. So I'm sitting here hurting and now can't really take them back and feeling like an idiot.

It did however make me realize that I don't think I have returned an item of clothing in my whole life in-spite of similar experiences. I have only returned a plate of food once and that was because the person I was eating with made me do it. I guess I just feel super uncomfortable asking for things to be corrected to suit me even if I paid good money for them to suit me. I actually pride myself on taking the short end of the stick with no complaints. Sometimes I have even let it endanger me. I worked manufacturing when I was young and stepped on a 9 inch nail puncturing all the way to the top of my foot. I told no one and worked the rest of my shift in pain. That's not safe or rational.

I think this may be one reason men's issues are stunted. Most men take any injustice or danger as not worthy of being upset over. There are mugs and shirts even encouraging us not to voice our issues.

I just kinda wanted to get this thought off my chest while I still had it fresh and to ask of anyone else feels this way.

Edit: Oh god my rant about shoes got stickied... I'm so embarrassed... .___.

Edit 2: One thing I did what to add to this. The bad choice I made is my fault. I think it would be stupid to place all blame on society for choices I actively made here. Societal pressures are not an excuse for this kind of thing. It is important to understand how society influences us, but we still hold personal responsibility.