I love a good DIY. Blame it on the Girl Scouts, my theatre upbringing, or my brief two-month stint in a sorority, but I am all about crafting.
But sometimes, we just need to put away the Modge Podge and glitter and reassess. Am I making a piece of art or a Frankenstein-level monster?
Sometimes, the answer can be both. Other times, it looks like this cringeworthy tacky-fest circulating on Reddit’s DiWHY thread.
DiWHY Did You Do That To Your Shoes?
Look, I can get distracted by a crafting montage as much as the next person. They inspire me! They fill me with motivation to finally do something with my growing craft collection!
And then, other times, I stumble upon a video like this. MetDaan DIY’s compilation of DIY shoe hacks is so terrible that it’s almost admirable.
No Show Peep Toes To Dr. Seuss Pumps
For example, the video starts with a close-up of a hacksaw eating into a pair of red leather pumps. I naively think to myself, “Ah, a pair of DIY peep toes! Okay, I’m listening.”
However, I was very wrong. The hacksaw chops off the very tip of the pointed toe heels. All that’s left is a small, narrow opening that the crafter dutifully paints just the wrong shade of red.
The result isn’t quite a peep toe or a regular pump. The best way I can describe it is a new ventilation system for sweaty toes. Confused, I keep watching. Still, I do not get less confused.
The video cuts to a pair of round-toe heels covered in accordion fabric. “Yes!” I say to myself. “I can get behind this! A little at-home Balenciaga!”
To my horror, the disembodied hands take what could have been some pretty cute shoes and starts covering them in big, red polka-dots. Mmm, nothing like beige and scarlet red, right?
The shoes look like the hide of some Seussian creature. I keep watching. I don’t know why I do this to myself.
The Grand Finale: Concrete Heels
Unsurprisingly, the video does not get better. The crafter makes some sketchy slippers held together with hot glue. They cover a pair of jelly sandals in aqua blue nail polish.
Then, seemingly for the grand finale, MetDaan busts out the big guns: concrete. Using a pair of flats and two concrete cylinders, the crafter makes what I can only assume are the least comfortable pairs of heels in existence.
What about arch support? Further, where does the rest of your foot go? Are you expected to hover on your heel?
As I said, I’m a crafter. I know some of these “hacks” are not cheaper than just buying some new freaking shoes.
“If anything,” one Reddit user summed up perfectly, “these DiWHY videos taught me humans are experts at creating waste.”
DIY hacks equal good! DIY hack hack jobs equal not so good.