The women in this country fascinate me. They walk around in stiletto heels, with perfect coiffures, and are gorgeous without a lot of fussing over makeup. They are total She-Ra - Super Women, female cartoon superheroes, climbing cobblestone streets in what look to be painful attempts to be, as what the Italians call “Bella Figura.”

Bella Figura means that when one goes out and about town, one dresses and presents oneself in the best possible way. Some may say that this attitude is a vain or shallow way to carry oneself. But you know what? Like I said, these Italian woman are She-Ras.

Deep down we all envy these women who follow the Bella Figura attitude, not necessarily to always look great but to be confident in one’s own appearance. This isn’t to say that these women have rock-solid bodies or perfect facial features. They have flaws but they don’t seem to care. What adds to the allure of these women is a glowing self-confidence that permeates from their pores. To take pride in oneself is not vanity, it’s a healthy act that feeds into one’s positive self-esteem.

Apart from my fascination with how these women can consistently sustain this look is my question of how they bear the pain? I grimace thinking about the sharp pain shooting through my heels and the tips of my leather Aldo pumps cutting off the circulation to my toes.

I watched in awe as an Italian Wonder Woman climbs the steep grade of Via Raffaello in her white peep-toe pumps with two full bags of groceries.

The admiration I feel for these confident women boosted my own self-confidence to not care about being “overdressed” but to be proud of my appearance when going out. This confidence lead me to go out to Portico (a pub) the night of our class party in my Aldo pumps. They are far from stiletto height but the walk between here and Portico can feel ten times as long wearing painful shoes.

I walked down the winding road towards the town and I felt like one of these women thinking; “Hey this isn’t so bad, I’m glad I didn’t wear flip-flops.”

That one evening did bolster my confidence. I know I am not even close to She-Ra – Super Woman status, but I will certainly take the “Bella Figura” attitude home and think twice before making a Target run without checking the mirror.