To think that high heels are just not worth it

Ive never found that heels are generally more uncomfortable than flat shoes - it depends on the individual pair of shoes surely? I bought a pair of fairly expensive flat shoes last year and they are SO uncomfortable that I very rarely wear them. I haven't worn really high heels for many years and until recently I usually wore shoes with about a 3" heel until I slipped my disc just under three years ago. I didn't walk funnily in them, I didn't clip clop when I was walking as someone else mentioned, and I could run for a bus in them without falling over. I can only remember ever falling over in heels, and alcohol may have been involved as well 😆.

Dressy flats. There are loads around - metallic, embellished, brightly coloured. At the end of the day nobody looks at your feet and the only person who cares is you.

I hate heels, but what do you wear for example if going to a wedding or a formal night out?

I used to wear them occasionally, but have always felt miserably uncomfortable in them. All I can think about when I see them on other women now is how much their feet must be hurting.

I wear barefoot shoes now, mostly, and never anything that isn't flat.

I had this realisation a few years ago and no longer wear them. I'm really short but it just isn't worth it

The other upsetting thing is the way women who wear them feel they have to justify the reasoning of why they wear them, to all the haters. We don’t need to justify anything.

the lovely things people have written

• I feel empowered
• I like the confidence they give me
• I look elegant
• they are fun

the things others have written
• they look shit
• they are disgusting
• they’ll deform you

I only see one set of ugliness here…. Look at the language you are using to stamp on someone else’s joy. (In your very comfortable sensible shoes made for practicality - and spitefulness)

That's true. I've fallen over more in my dms. Heels have played havoc with my knees though. I'm tall and fell over a lot in my clumsy years, so should have probably avoided heels like the plague. 20 years of them has not been helpful.

Normal people who wear heels don't tend to fall in them! I've only fallen in heels once in my life (because I wasn't looking where I was going and tripped on a curb) and I used to be an avid stiletto wearer.

It's very odd isn't it! Who knew some women hated others so much for wearing heels. MN is a very disturbing place sometimes! 😕

They are disgusting and not in fashion. Give me a good ankle boot or pair of trainers.

I’m 4’11 & have no trouble projecting my presence without heels.

I guess they might 'give you confidence' if you're a shorty and have trouble projecting presence.

'A shorty'? 'Trouble projecting presence'?

I'd judge someone way more harshly for the presence you've just projected than for feeling more confident wearing heels. And I'm not particularly short.

Like always, in every situation?

Because sometimes I'm a big walker - hiking, running errands, walking the dogs, wandering through a new neighbourhood, visiting a new city or a museum or carrying stuff home from the farmers' market. Sometimes I'm not, like when I'm a guest at a party or a wedding or a christening, going to dinner or the theatre or a drinks party or a formal event. Sometimes I'm in a meeting or an office or wfh. Sometimes I'm out for a run or at the gym.

I have different footwear for different purposes and occasions. Don't most people? I wouldn't look at someone at a party in heels and think, she must not be a big walker. I'd just assume she wasn't doing a big walk right at that moment.

I have also been taken aback by the level of contempt towards women who wear heels. As I said upthread, I don't wear them, never have, never will, but I don't care what others do. Unless we are off hiking together!

Interesting, that most women wear make up, nice hairstyles and nice dresses/clothes (obviously absolutely not for men haha), but if you wear heels, you need to explain why you like them because of course you only wear them for men. For the same reason you like above maybe?

And no high heels because men will fetishise your feet? Lily Allen is currently making £££ by selling pics of her bare feet. Men will fetishise anything, so you may as well wear what you enjoy without some other women aiding and abetting by pouring poison in your ear that your footwear is wrong.

Enjoy your shoes, in all their forms 👍🏻

And while we are at it, unless you are wearing a wide box toe with adequate arch support then most shoes will damage your feet. DM’s (of which I own several) will bruise you for the first 3 months. Birkenstocks can cause heel cracks plantar fasciitis.

so the “I don’t wear anything that causes pain or deformities” arguments are pretty much null and void across most footwear.

I like them. And that’s ok. Someone out there may like £3 crocs from shoezone that make their feet look like soggy flannels but I hope they enjoy them, please do. Some days I enjoy a croc too. But let me enjoy my clothes please 🙂

”im not like those other girls, i wont wear xyz for the male gaze” is the rhetoric of non solidarity.

i used to wear them to go out out but haven't for years. the thought of my feet hurting just puts me off. i have a couple of low block heel sandals and some lovely sparkly sling back flats but i gave nearly all my heels to charity. i kept two very very beautiful pairs just to look at occasionally!
i was out in liverpool a couple of weeks ago and i was surprised to see 95% of women in flats or DM style boots. a lot of DM sandals as well. the last time i was out in liverpool it was all heels and little dresses so a real change.

I'm the other side of 40 and have not worn high heels since my teens!

One too many nights out with awfully painful feet and blisters, I gave up on them without any regrets

Today the most I'll wear is a pair of (well made) espadrilles for a bit of height at a wedding/night out

You do know that there are thousands of models in the world doing everything from acting as props for hobbyist photographers or life drawing classes to stock images to catwalk models and everything in between?

The vast majority of modelling work is unglamorous and fairly poorly paid, most of us do it because it's fun, creative, you meet lots of new people, and it's a good way to have lovely pictures to look back on and reminisce about when your stomach was flat and you were free of laughter lines.

I've certainly never been offered a smoothie or a trailer, although jaffa cakes are a common perk.

Not for me, I'm a big walker and heels just aren't practical.
I feel like they only work if aren't expecting to take more then a couple of steps!

Never worn them, never will.

I cannot comprehend why anyone would wear any clothing that would damage them physically.

So you're allowing (your own perceptions of) the male gaze to dictate how you dress?

Yes, this. It's like the only definition of heels on Mumsnet is a spiky stiletto. I live in London and see loads of blocky high heels, platforms and kitten heels. I don't think they've ever gone quite so far out of style as seems to be asserted on here.