THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

3.1 Shoes and Mirrors: Images of Doubling The Avatar in Panamasummarises: “In short, your psychosexual personality and generalpersonal image is mirrored in the shoes you wear”. 16Rossi classifies several types and designs of shoe. Men'sshoes can be dominant, submissive or neutral. Dominant shoes arethick soled, heavy and sturdy. Submissive shoes are narrow, lightweightwith thin soles and tapering toes. The neutral or neuter shoe is neithermasculine nor feminine looking, wide nor narrow, thick nor thin soled.This type is a passive style for the psychosexually passive person (97).The masculine shoe exists in three colours: black, brown, and white,and are worn in the main by people who conform in all aspects of life.Their wearer emanates an insecure masculinity. The peacock shoe isflamboyant and is worn by less sexually aggressive, more brazen,ostentatious and “insecure men who have a driving need for personalidentity” (110). Non-conformists may wear brogue patterns or two-toneuppers indicating a psychosexual masquerade with the masculinecostume smothering the peacock inside. Typically un-American, and“instantly understood and appreciated by European, South American,and Asian men”, is the sensuous shoe. Often bearing tassels andchains, the gold chain which appeared on the moccasin or chain thatappeared on the moccasin or loafer had obvious sadomasochisticassociations and would be worn by domineering types (102). This shoebecame available in spectator-style (two colours). All of these aspects -brogue patterns, shoes with buckles, pointy shoes as phallic symbols,tassel ornaments which are often beaded and feature on the vamp ofmen’s shoes, are depicted in shoe styles typified in Brazilian writerPatrícia Melo’s novel, O Matador, the analysis of which follows.Finally, there is the machismo shoe; the boot which, as afashion, usually followed war and represented coping with threat. Itepitomised bold masculinity, authority and strength; the mostchauvinistic, aggressive, and sadistic of all the shoe styles. The boot“suggests a kind of psychological malevolence […] sometimes worn bypsychosexually passive men who wish to transmit a different image”(116). The image of boots features in Darío’s “Betún y sangre” and in OMatador in this sense. Apart from the footwear design itself, the sort ofleather or suede from which it was made also went in and out offashion. Patent leather was developed in the thirties as a waterproofmaterial for shoes and which created a ‘wet look’ due to its highlyglossy effect. Its popularity was based on psychosexual motive and asubconscious association called ‘undinism’, a term created by HavelockEllis which applied to a condition or image of wetness that arousessexual excitement (208). As will be seen, patent leather is fundamental16 The poulaine or pointy toe shoe was a phallic symbol which was matched by tufts offeathers or fur on a shoe symbolising the female genitalia. Rossi 222-223.147