You contradict yourself. Women are competing for the the attention of the opposite sex—but then focus on shoes in order to impress other women?
In the workplace, women have to meet the expectations for their jobs, and in something like television, there is a greater focus on their looks than there is on the looks of their male colleagues.
Females compete with each other to be the most attractive to males. This is 100% natural and instinctive, done without conscience. It is who they are, LIKE IT OR NOT.
So, females wear shoes as an adornment, just as earrings are an adornment because it makes them feel more able to capture the attention of a man even though most men don't give a rats arse about shoes.
The shoe thing has always been a mystery to me. Most women love shoes even though MOST men couldn't care less about them. Shoes are ornamentation, plain and simple. Just one more thing a woman believes increases her ability to capture the attention of a man. Women love shoes because they are a TOOL they can use to 'up' the bling factor in attracting men! I am by no means saying love for shoes is wrong.