Thank you, New Balance! I feel justified. You may recall, I had a bit of a rant on the hideous Skechers Shape-Ups in Fugly Shoes. New Balance (love their sneaks) comes up with a far more attractive version.

Though I still think the effectiveness of these “toning” shoes is in the fact that people walk more than they usually would just because they’re wearing new sneakers with grandiose claims of effectiveness. Something of a placebo effect, I guess you could say.