Are high heels used to make women weaker?

[angell84]

I am in a cafe having a cup of tea with a friend.

A small woman stumbled in, in high heels that she could barely walk in. She was with a large domineering man - he was striding ahead, and she could barely keep up.

I looked at her, and I had a thought that I have had a few times.

Why do women wear high heels? And Why do the fashion industry keep pushing high heels at women?

They are uncomfortableto wear, they physically hurt us in the long run- I looked at a scientific study online before I wrote this. It said that wearing high heels weaken women's muscles.

And they make us incredibly weak and vulnerable - we are barely able to walk - let alone run, wearing them. I.e it suits men with bad intentions - for us to wear them.

Does anyone else think this?

I voted YANBU. If you are talking about very high, very thin unsteady heels on a high platform to boot (think "fuck me pumps") then yes, they are ridiculous and dangerous. They are for sitting down, not walking. And often they look ugly and the person walking in them looks pained and suffering.

However, not all high heels are awful. Some, which are made for people with an arch in their foot as it should be, have the weight on the heel rather than toe; these are not stilettos and the shoe is quite steady. It's not your flat shoe but it's possible to walk in them. Women wear these maybe to look a bit taller (and not to look up at people all the time), or because they like the look. It elongates the leg and straightens the pose.

I think it's also very important to separate what you think of uncomfortable shoes from the person who wears them, and not look down on these women. Unfortunately, it happens often. I tend to dress elegantly rather than casually, used to wear heels at work (but not the kind which would hurt me; I had to try them on in a shop properly to make sure they are wearable) and generally come across as a person who cares about their appearance, and I would be quite angry if someone decided that I'm just some submissive, backward and unliberated woman, or that I do it for the men. I'm not saying you think this, but as I said, unfortunately the critique of "beauty myth" extends to the women.

Read the full thread. Wow.
To be honest, I never cared about "power" at work: I just came in to do my job and then left home. But I didn't allow anyone, man or woman, to treat me with less than respect and courtesy. Work was at times screamingly boring, a fucking prison where you had to endure certain hours of presence, and a sight of my foot in a nice shoe cheered me up a bit.
I think it's simple. Respect yourself. Don't hurt yourself. Have a personal style if you want to, or don't if you don't care about such things. Don't put others down, especially if they (or what they wear) didn't do you any harm. It doesn't matter in the slightest what others think about your clothes.

I think it's disgusting that you aren't allowed to choose your own footwear ... oh, wait

[rolleyes]

@EerieSilence
One of the most comfortable pairs I have is a pair of Tod's. You'd think they would kill your feet but they are made so comfortably, I once walked over 10 miles in them over the day and didn't feel tired or sore at all. Bought them in TK Maxx for a fraction of the original price because clearly nobody wanted a size 1 shoe which looked like you could kill yourself in it but they're fab. And they make my legs look really long.

I just looked them up after reading your post. Fuck me those are expensive!!