I have, on a few rare occasions, met shoes that I was prepared to sell a pint of blood for. Not that I did. I can usually talk myself out of purchases I cannot afford, even though the grief might be protracted and result in midnight raids on the fridge.
But I will never be prepared to go to jail over a pair.
Not so the 22-year-old grocery store clerk in the United States who high-heeled herself to a fraud charge. She collected US$24,000 in insurance payments for a fake injury, and could spend a year in jail if convicted.
Shawna Lynn Palmer (crazy people always have three names) said she could not work because of a broken toe. She went to a doctor and got a sick leave certificate and a pair of crutches. She told her employers that she had to stay off her feet and she could not even wear shoes.
Days later, she competed in a Long Beach beauty pageant–in skyscraper stilettos. She then went back to the doctor and claimed she could not put any weight on the foot, and got a several weeks off work. She used the time well and competed again, in a Harley Davidson bikini pageant, where she placed third.
Tipsy with success, she posted Facebook pictures of herself, in a black bikini, and black open-toe shoes. The brand of the footwear has not been disclosed. But the shoes were a lot cuter than her competitors' choices which consisted mostly of thick wedges, which made them look as though they were club-footed.
People might think it was the lure of the pageant that made her lie and cheat. But insiders understand it was the shoes that did it.