Fans have applauded Hilary Duff for performing an “iconic” act at her Australian gig this week.
The Come Clean singer surprised fans by drinking beer out of a “perfect” shoe at her sold-out Melbourne show on 27 October.
An unofficial tradition amongst Australian performers, the unconventional act of drinking alcoholic beverages, typically beer, out of a shoe is known down-under as a “shoey” – and Hilary’s enthusiastic participation appeared to earn her major brownie points with the locals.
Instead of swigging from a used shoe, however, Hilary performed her “shoey” using a glass slipper statue, in a nod to her 2004 rom-com, A Cinderella Story.
“This is so cute, I would drink a cocktail out of this,” the singer and Lizzie McGuire alum said as she held the slipper aloft. “This is a classy shoey!”
After pouring beer into the slipper and knocking it back, then going back for a second round, Hilary added, “That is my kind of shoey”.
Most fans appeared to be thrilled by the act, with many taking to social media to express their appreciation.
“The only shoey I can approve of,” one wrote, with another simply commenting, “iconic”.
Others, however, were disappointed Hilary had not drunk out of her own shoe, declaring an ornamental slipper “doesn’t count” and that the shoe in question must “be an actual shoe” to be a legitimate “shoey”.
“It counts she is “Cinderella story” so it was inevitable for her specifically to do a shoey in a Cinderella glass shoe,” a fan rebutted, adding, “no one would want her getting sick by doing it from a warm shoe.”
Over the course of her Lucky Me tour, Hilary also participated in other classic Australian traditions including the “Tim Tam Slam”, in which warm milk is sucked up through a long chocolate biscuit, as well as sampling a slice of toast with Vegemite.
