“Be Where Your Feet Are”

How my love for shopping got me off TikTok between classes

By Siena Vitucci

by Ben Farkas

Amidst my busy day in between classes, meetings and more, I’m constantly in search of a quick dopamine hit in between my classes. While I walk from CGS to Questrom, my initial instinct used to be to scroll on TikTok and attempt to weave through the masses without paying mind to the sea of people surrounding me. 

However, aside from my constant battle with screen time—and the gnawing angel on my shoulder shouting at me to better myself and get off my phone for once—scrolling and speedwalking is simply not practical on Commonwealth Ave. 

Regardless of the time of day, there will always be a group of four lined up directly in front of you who seem to have nowhere to be, or the looming threat of an athlete skimming your ankle as they brush by the edge of the sidewalk on a scooter. 

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Along with my brain constantly spinning over how I can improve myself comes the constant need to improve my style, and as I returned to Boston after a summer of flip-flops, I felt a tinge of disappointment each time I looked down at the black sambas I wear nearly every day (basic, I know). 

Unfortunately, I can never seem to make a decision when shopping online, so finding a new favorite pair of shoes this way is simply out of the question. 

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And so, two entirely unrelated problems overlapped in my mind, and the solution presented itself. I could go shoe shopping on Comm Ave! Speeding from West to East campus in a span of 12 minutes I’ve trained my eyes to jump from shoe to shoe just as fast as I would scroll from video to video on TikTok, fulfilling my need to entertain my short attention span for the duration of a walk. 

With my head out of my phone, I am now privy to the shoe trends on campus: niche colored sambas are still going strong with white New Balance trailing closely behind. Even more importantly, unique shoes stand out if you remain attentive! With a bit of brand knowledge and a knack for digging up information online, I have been able to use my shopping walks to discover several potential new shoes this semester. 

I must admit, my new habit has done more than open my eyes to niche footwear. I like to think I'm taking a step in the right direction towards a mindful lifestyle by choosing to ground myself in reality rather than detach, and hopefully in a pair of wonderful new shoes.