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The Style Files: ‘Sexy or Skanky’ – Jeffrey Campbell’s Lita Boots

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wake Forest chapter.

Jeffrey Campbell’s ‘Lita’ platform booties have recently been seen in the tabloids on the feet of celebrities like Jessica Alba, Ashley Tisdale, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. These thick and heavy boots with 5-inch wood or synthetic heels have been spotted at both casual and dressy events. Though they began as a fall trend, these boots have continued to appear on the feet of très-chic fashionistas into the wintertime. 
 
While they may appeal to a specific kind of urban-styled girl in New York or Los Angeles, the preppy and conservatively based Wake Forest campus has differing views on the platform heels. Her Campus asked male and female students for the verdict: sexy or skanky?
 

Here, Jessica Alba rocks the Lita shoes in Paris.

The jury’s still out—the reactions were split. There was, however, a third adjective added to the mix: ugly. More females deemed the shoe ugly than males did, but males and females were split between sexy and skanky.
 
Despite the labels, many students agreed that their opinion of the shoe depends on the location and style of the wearer.  In a fashionable urban setting, like the streets of NYC, the wearer will blend right in amongst all the other edgy trends. If the woman were to walk around a preppy college campus, she would definitely be turning heads.
 

Sophomore Liz Hughes says that the boots “would look cute with skinny jeans or leggings. However, in terms of day-to-day use, I think I would be taken aback to see a girl wearing these to class.”
 
Many students agreed with Liz’s opinion. The wearer would look out of her element if she walked around campus wearing these chunky shoes.
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Another popular reaction to these shoes is that the sexiness of the wearer depends on the way and style the woman dresses in them.  According to sophomore Hayley Sultana: “To wear Jeffrey Campbells, you definitely have to be able to pull them off. If worn by someone who can pull them off, they are sexy, but if you choose the wrong style … [that could] change to skanky.”
 
The confidence factor of the woman was another aspect influencing students to vote them as sexy. Several males made comments about how sexiness comes from a woman’s attributes and attitudes, not just the clothes themselves.
 

Demi Lovato loves her glitter Litas

“These shoes show that a girl is not afraid to wear something that’s a little more catchy. It shows confidence, which is sexy,” said sophomore Andrew Harvey.
 
Sexiness comes from confidence. It’s hard for a shoe to determine a girl’s overall look, but the Lita shoes can enhance sexiness or skankiness—depending on the look she’s going for.
 
*Images courtesy of Google

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Cassie Brown

Wake Forest

Editorial Campus Correspondent. Former Section Editor for Campus Cutie. Writer for Her Campus Wake Forest. English major with a double minor in Journalism and Communication. Expected graduation in May 2014.
Jackie Swoyer is a rising senior at Wake Forest University majoring in Business and Enterprise Management, concentrating in Marketing and minoring in Economics. While her collegiate years have been spent in the Carolinas, this aspiring marketer currently calls Cincinnati, Ohio home...although she has spent years moving all over the country and beyond (including a five year period in Europe!). She is currently prepping for a summer internship in the Frito Lay Marketing Division in Plano, Texas, a new stop on her geographical repertoire. An avid reader of all things Her Campus, Jackie also loves to write, listen to Pandora, practice her cooking skills, and find live music anywhere she can.