Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Image via Kaboodle
This just in from SCIENCE: Shoes are the new personality test. Psychologists at the University of Kansas have determined that "style, value, colour, and condition of footwear can paint a picture of the owner's emotional, political and other vital personality traits." Though maybe not as complex a test as the Myers-Briggs test, 63 students looked at 208 different pairs of shoes belonging to volunteers in the experiment and accurately judged 90% of those traits. So either those 63 students are footwear whisperers, or there's a high correlation between the shoes we wear and the people we are. (The entire fashion industry just let out a collective "told you so.")
And what about that 10%? Where do the soles fail to give off clues? "Boring" shoes, apparently, are a tough read. But FYI, those with hum-drum footwear find it hard to form relationships because, according to the Daily Mail, "these people are 'aloof and repressive' in their emotions and do not care what others think of them so they do not stand out in their general appearance." Now you know.
· How to tell a good sole: You really can judge a person by their shoes....and you do not need to look at anything else [Daily Mail]
· Let's All Never Forget That Time Apple Made Clothing [Racked]
· Harvey Nichols' New Sale Campaign Pictures Models Who Have Peed Themselves [Racked]