I remember the first time I heard he expression "goody goody two shoes." It was so weird and alarming to my young ears I immediately dropped my toys, and imagine probably started crying too. It was in one of those shitty Rankin-Bass cartoons it's very utterance filled my head with a tonne of questions:
- did I just hear that?
- am I sure?
- what does that mean?
Okay, just three I guess. But I was plenty confused. I gathered through context and tone that this was meant derisively. I was also able to surmise from the "goody goody" that what was being mocked was altruism and mewling supplicating behaviour. I got all that. But "two shoes"? I hated hearing it. It made me angry, and twenty years later still does. Wikipedia doesn't help at all:
Goody Two-Shoes is a variation of the Cinderella story. The fable tells of GoodyTwo-Shoes, the nickname of a poor orphan girl named Margery Meanwell, who goes through life with only one shoe. When she is given a complete pair by a rich gentleman, she is so happy that she tells everyone that she has "two shoes". Later, Margery becomes a teacher and marries a rich widower. This earning of wealth serves as proof that her virtuousness has been rewarded, a popular theme in children's literature of the era.What a lousy moral takeaway: if you're poor, a "rich gentleman" will surely stop by and purchase what you need for you. Oh, and if you can, try to marry a rich widower too. Be sure to brag about your shit.
Further reading reveals that the story author is unknown. Well, no shit. With such a paper-thin premise, I'd be embarrassed to take credit too. This story is long forgotten, but somehow this ungainly Victorian expression still thrives. Let's kill it please.
