Or so says a journalist who gave up wearing high heels because they damaged her achilles tendons and calf muscles. They took several years to recover.
Well, as you may recall I've always been bemused by the popularity of high heels. Everyone knows they do all sorts of damage to your body but women keep on wearing them because they're seen as sexy or glamorous or if it's the workplace they make you look "professional" and "businesslike".
Personally I don't find them the least bit sexy, just rather masochistic. What's sexy about something that's probably uncomfortable and painful?
As for their looking professional, I don't judge office workers by their footwear but by how well they do their job. And as I've said before, if high heels make you look professional, why don't men wear them?
Unfortunately a lot of men want their womenfolk to wear high heels because yes, they're seen as sexy. So women oblige them and put up with the discomfort.
I don't think Jenny has ever worn high heels and she would never contemplate wearing such things. She would never sacrifice comfort for some dubious idea of being sexy or eye-catching.
In 2017 Nicola Thorp started a petition against the compulsory wearing of high heels at work when she was sent home from her temp job after refusing to wear high heels. Her petition attracted over 100,000 signatures and was debated in parliament but was then quickly forgotten about.
But maybe seven years on attitudes are finally changing?
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I'm no longer getting comments via email so it may be that I miss some comments and don't respond to them. I have no idea how to restore the emails. Sorry about that.
I've never been a fan of the high-heels look. Those shoes just look so obviously uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous going up or down stairs. If they do actual damage to muscles and tendons, that's even worse. If a guy wants "his" woman to wear them in spite of all that, maybe that's a red flag about the guy.
ReplyDeleteInfidel: I once knew a woman whose ex had insisted she wear the full "feminine" regalia - tight skirt, high heels, full make-up, the lot. Needless to say they split up pretty quickly.
DeleteI spent a couple of decades in heels, but never anything that high. 2" was about it. If you wear them regularly they aren't uncomfortable, but they do shorten you leg tendons, so the discomfort is when they are off. I have not worn them in 3 decades!
ReplyDeleteSandra: Interesting that you got the discomfort after you took them off.
DeleteThey always struck me as being the equivalent of foot binding, so no, never wore them. Reminds me of the days of job adverts for receptionists which included a 'grooming allowance'....curry comb, any one?
ReplyDeleteFly: Maybe not quite foot-binding, which is perpetually agonising and permanently stunts your feet. But certainly damaging to your body in the long run.
DeleteI’d be looking like a newborn giraffe in heels. I’m glad I never worked anywhere that cared about shoes.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: A wonderful comparison! I suspect I'd also be tottering like a giraffe if I had to wear heels.
DeleteMy aunt sold upscale ladies clothes, She was required to wear high heels all day every day. Her calf muscles shrank to the point even her slippers had to have high heels. No, thanks.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Even her slippers had to have high heels? That's crazy.
DeleteI worked in retail for a few years as we were required to wear at least a 2" heel at work. Back in my 20's I could do it no problem, now though not so much.
ReplyDeleteMary: I know that as women get older, wearing high heels can be harder. Not that the average bloke cares about that.
DeleteI had to wear high heels in office environments for many years and now my bunions remind me of that fact. All my shoes are now flats or minimal heels.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nick, for your comment on my post today and for catching my mistake about Lake Winnie which is the largest lake in the U.S. state of NH as you corrected me. I left out a bit when I wrote that statement and always appreciate fellow blogger's input. I have duly corrected my mistake, so thanks!
Beatrice: Bunions are the least of some women's problems of course. Regular wearing of high heels can cause osteoarthritis, which may call for a knee replacement.
DeleteGlad we've now sorted out the lake question!
Have you read the LA Times story about the young woman who invented a detachable high heel? Her multi million dollar company began with grants and Shark Tank.
DeleteJoanne: Interesting article. But I read about a woman who found the Pashion shoes just as uncomfortable as the conventional ones.
DeleteThis is the article for anyone who's interested https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-28/pashion-footwear
DeleteMost shoes with high heels also have pointed toes. People aren't born with pointed toes.
ReplyDeleteAnon: Indeed. Is it surprising that crushing your toes like that is likely to be painful?
DeleteRe Emails - I think you have to go to settings and enter your own email. It's not obvious where you enter it - but I found it eventually!
ReplyDeleteFailing that make a comment on your post and tick the Notify me box.
Nope. Haven't worn heels since the 80s. And I'm 4ft 11".
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Okay - Go to Settings; scroll down to Email; then where it says: Comment Notification Subscribers enter your own email and you should then receive comments for your blog.
DeleteSx
P.S Btw, I have moved back to Blogger - I mean it this time!!
DeleteSx
"Comment notification subscribers" won't allow me to enter an email address. "Invite people to comment notification" does accept an email address however, so I've tried that.
DeleteI believe that many short women wear them to give themselves more a feeling of power. And truth to tell, even though tall myself, I wore them in the seventies/eighties to tower over some of the misogynistic male weasels I worked with.
ReplyDeleteI dropped them before damage was done. My shorter friends suffer to this day for all the horrific harm to their feet. It's not a simplistic issue. Tiny professional women needed to elevate themselves in more ways than one.
XO
WWW
www: Do high heels really give you a feeling of power rather than a sneaking feeling they're damaging your feet? I would have thought what's empowering isn't painful footwear but plenty of self-confidence.
DeleteBlimey, no. High heels never gave me a feeling of power, they made me feel tethered to the floor as I couldn't run or dance in them. I'd rather run and dance than appear taller. For this reason I felt that heels put me at a disadvantage. Flats, on the other hand, give me the advantage to be able to hit where it hurts, and to run for a train with ease.
DeleteBack in the day, I recall almost losing a heeled shoe on the London Underground because the heel got caught in the wooden groves of the train floor. No way did heels ever make me feel powerful - they made me feel silly, and desperate. 4ft 11", and proud.
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*grooves
DeleteMs Scarlet: Exactly, they're more a liability than an advantage. How does not being able to dance or run for a train make you empowered? And yes, I imagine feeling silly and desperate is the more likely feeling.
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