Pet Peeve #5

Posted on 03 April 2011

| Posted by Bel | The time is 10.01am here in Wellington NZ |

Something that always mortifies me is when I see someone strutting down the street looking fine in their finery - and then I spy price stickers still adhered to the bottom of their shoes.

This upsets me on many levels. Let's explore!

1) I am upset with myself because essentially I am just being judgemental because really my problem with it is that I think it looks common. Biiiiiiiitch.

2) It looks common. SHUT UP IT DOES!!

3) One of my favourite weird OCD pleasures in life is removing stickers off things after I have bought them. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • CD jewel cases
  • Paperback books
  • Crockery sets
  • Shoes
4) I feel an irrational personal concern for the bestickered person in the same way I do for people who are driving along with their coat or skirt caught outside of the door, or standing in front of me in a queue with a label sticking up out of their collar.

Visual examples sourced from Google Images:


This is someone called Fearne Cotton. I have no idea who she is and yet I feel such mortification on her behalf.


This is that woman Eva Longoria off telly. She always reminds me of a dear friend of mine to the extent that they are pretty much the same person in my head and thus seeing this, I am like "Oh Bee! How did I let this happen to you!" and feel personally responsible as well as mortified.

7 thoughts on “Pet Peeve #5”

  1. Heh heh heh! This is amusing because it is also one of my weird preoccupations. I have this burning urge to say 'hey man, erm, I can see your labels'... it could sound vaguely pervy I guess.

  2. I once forgot to do this! And walked around with stickers on my shoes!! And was MORTIFIED, and thus now it is the very first thing I do with shoes.

    I have a similar pet peeve, which is against stickers that don't come off easily. Like you start to pick the sticker off then realise it is stuck hard and that you're going to be picking at it for months if not years and it will always look terrible. Worst: on books. Second worst: on cookware - nobody wants sticky residue on their cookware!


    PS Fearne is a tv and radio presenter, and recently wore a bathing suit on tv to encourage more donations for Comic Relief (it worked so I put my reservations about the situation aside (but obviously not really or else I wouldn't be mentioning it right now)).

  3. Aaah, yes - see point #3, a sticky sticker is a joy to me.

    Have you tried nail polish remover? It may actually damage the fuck out of the surface, but at least you'll have the satisfaction of finally removing the sticker... :D

  4. Best tip for getting sticky stickers off - use your hairdryer!! Got given this information once when buying a CD in Sydney (yes back when CD stores still existed). I tried it and that sticky little sticker came right off.

    On another note - toilet paper stuck to the bottom of shoes is equally as mortifying.

  5. OH NO!

    I read this, laughed derisively and only now have seen the forlorn faded label on the bottom of my pumps.

    AND I CAN'T GET IT OFF!

    It is confirmed. I am a social pariah.

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