I’m nearly 6ft tall. For a woman that’s rather sizeable. My taller than average height means I’m towering above most folk. Heels you would think would be an unnecessary conundrum for me but alas, like every woman, they are.
Heels make me look good. Height suits my frame. What’s more, I like the stature it gives me, my posture is better and I feel sexier.
The advantages of heels however, for me, are only relevant when standing or sitting. Once movement is required the problems begin. My feet hurt, my back aches, I don’t want to dance, there is an earlier ‘home time’ placed on nights out and the thought of wearing them all day in the office fills me with exhaustion.
Undeniable heels are pretty damn sexy. Some even say they are a fetish and should that should remain just that.
Thinking about it, they do seem to make more sense when you think of them in that way. Sexy underwear in the bedroom would not be a first choice when selecting your daily draws. This is accepted.
What I can’t ignore is that some women swear their heels are comfortable. I either applaud these women or feel like throwing a pair of ballet pumps at them, mainly the ones tottering at 0.5 miles an hour looking like a newborn greyhound on roller-skates.
Hey, I’m not judging this delightful image that replicates me every Saturday night. I looked AWESOME when I left the flat at 7pm but by 11.30pm I look like an utter dick clinging on the arm of a more stable friend making ‘ooo’ and ‘eee’ noises with every step
Its at this point, I think I’m an idiot I look anything but awesome and may as well team my platforms with a sign saying ‘EASY TARGET: “mug me, go on, I wont be running after you”’.
I annoy myself each and every time but I still persist. I credit this to my resilient personality (or forgetfulness/vanity)
Further to this there are the women who wear them 24/7. When I ask these sadists ‘HOW?’ they either simply say they are comfy (I’m jealous and mystified) or give me this reason (mainly for work time heel-wearing):
“Heels give me confidence, putting me face-to-face with men/colleagues”
Maybe I’m bias because I’m normally face-to-face or taller than everyone but I’m going to quickly skim over this by saying if you are overlooked because of your height in the workplace standing on mini-stilts seems a strange solution. (Another blog post in the making…)
The truth is, as reported in this weekend’s Observer, that wearing extremely high heels isn’t good for you. We all know this but it is undeniable that heels make me feel better and if I was slightly smaller (I’d feel pretty abnormal being 6ft 4 all day) and heels wear as comfy as Primark pumps- I’d probably wear them.
But, and that’s a big BUT, they are really bloody uncomfortable so why do we (the majority) still power through? I pondered this and the only piece of clothing that springs to mind, giving the same level of discomfort and lets face it, disfigurement is the corset.
I wonder, will future generations look back at us and view our love affair with skyscraper heels as ridiculous, strange and restrictive as we view the corset?
Will heels disappear and exist only in the bedroom? Are they part of our ever increasing, oversexed fashion or are they a beautiful part of power dressing?
So many questions…
Look, can some snazzy fashion designer just make a range of exquisite and ultra comfy heels that don’t rip your feet apart whilst simultaneously morphing you into the hunchback, we wouldn’t need to ask.
Holly Peacock-Goodwin 