Ridiculously high heels - Apprentice Final Four

[axolotlfloof]

Just watching this week's episode.
Really pleased to see 4 women in the final, but why the heels?
Even Karen is wearing them.
They are bad for your feet, balance and just ridiculous.
My Mum's feet were destroyed by heels in the 60s, and I prioritise walking over heels.
Aibu?

@nicesausages

There is definitely an Apprentice uniform look of sexy business wear. It's almost become a one upmanship contest on the best outfit. The men don't have to compete like that. Looks very sexist and old-fashioned to me - I bet Lord Sugar has a say in that, looks a right old creep to me

It's quite strange because if you look at photos from early series of the Apprentice the women are in suits. They just look completely different from how they look now.

@axolotlfloof

My concerns are practicality and foot health. My Mum's feet were seriously deformed (bunions), by wearing high heels for her office job (law) in the 60s. She was embarrassed by her feet and found it difficult to find shoes to fit in later life. This is the truth about heels.

Hardly!

You made a snide comment about time spent on business plans versus appearance.

If you’re going to be spiteful - at least have the decency to admit it.

@Cerealnamechangerer

I think this thread shows feminism is completely dead on Mumsnet. Women can wear what they want to wear. They shouldn't be called grotesque and ridiculous, or have their intelligence called into question because they're wearing heels and make up. You keep on holding up the patriarchy. I wouldn't wear it but they can if they want. The idea that shama would have had more to offer because she was dressed modestly is sexist as hell.

By all means criticise them for their poor performance, or their terrible business plans, or boring business ideas. But none of that is relevant to what they are wearing.

100% agree

I dont mind if other women like heels and dont find them uncomfortable

That’s good of you.

as long as the balance doesnt tip into you have to wear them to be seen as smart again. Because they are damaging.

So you will permit other women to wear the shoes of their choice as long as that choice doesn’t have any impact on you in the future. As if their choosing to wear heels would unleash a seismic shift in attitudes that would make heels mandatory for women who wanted to be considered smart, thus inconveniencing you in, say, five years’ time.

In the real world, outside the Mumsnet bubble, heels are everywhere. I’ve just bought a beautiful pair of strappy heels from Reiss. You can see them being worn by the models on the website with almost every outfit. Not so ‘dated’ after all, eh?

To be fair, they only wear those heels to walk across to Lord Sugar - a feat in itself! After that, they change into flats to do the actual task.

@Jaffapaffa

How archaic. I tell my daughters that they need to take care of their feet and that walking/comfort is most important. Thankfully my wife rarely wears them.

Perhaps you could retort and advise your management team that public school management isn't exactly what success looks like

The thing that stood out to me in the last interview episode, was that none of them bought into slagging the others off, to make themselves look better.

I saw none of that at all (not sure if I missed it when popping out to the loo).

This behaviour is what speaks volumes to me. This!

One of the finalists is local to me and believe me she didn’t routinely dress like that before The Apprentice
If the ladies on the show want to dress like that then great but the way they all have such a similar look makes me think it’s not entirely voluntary

In the real world, outside the Mumsnet bubble, heels are everywhere.

I rarely see women wearing heels.

Substance over appearance is definitely relevant, but I don't like high heels and I don't think we should be encouraging anyone to think they are the way to get on in business.
Read my first post. Heels are bad for your feet and impractical and I am very suprised to see all the women in the show wearing them in 2022.

@speakout

In the real world, outside the Mumsnet bubble, heels are everywhere.

I rarely see women wearing heels.

I almost never do.

I'm in Queensland, Australia. Maybe it just depends where you live?

I don't know anyone who regularly wears heels. Maybe it's the circles you keep too?

In the last couple of weeks I have been to 2 large Northern Cities and London on Business and not only were women dressed much more casually than pre Covid but there was a distinct lack of heels.
I was taking note because I was a bit torn about what to wear myself but had gone for smart but comfortable and was worried about being underdressed. In one meeting most people were in Jeans

LadyPropane

Maybe geographical, I am in rural scotland, most women wear stout sensible shoes.
My DD does sometimes go out in the city to nightclubs, they like to dress up, wear skimpy outfits- but usually teamed with DMs or sports shoes. My DD and her friends see heels as dated and old fashioned.

Very high heels should be compared to the burka in my opinion.

A look has certainly evolved over time. I was more inspired by Ruth Badger as I looked to her skills rather than her wardrobe. Now it's the Roland Mouret clone look. I like individuality and now the contestants do little to make themselves stand out which is odd when they're trying to he noticed. I'm sure some would perform better in tasks if they could actually walk. However, it's much better to save the heels for the boardroom and interviews where at least they can sit down.

@axolotlfloof

Substance over appearance is definitely relevant, but I don't like high heels and I don't think we should be encouraging anyone to think they are the way to get on in business. Read my first post. Heels are bad for your feet and impractical and I am very suprised to see all the women in the show wearing them in 2022.

Then don’t wear them!

Not your business if other people do.

And you have made barbed personal attacks.

Slagging them off for their choices you clearly were!

Just because your mum has damaged feet, doesn’t mean other people will end up so.

I’m sure they don’t wear them 16 hours a day, every day. And they didn’t wear them
In the tasks, so what exactly was the point of your post?

No one thinks wearing heels are a way to get on in business. Just a few ridiculous people on here who get weirdly angry seeing women wearing them. And again for those who seem confused, it’s an ENTERTAINMENT show, not careers advice. And stop with the patronising heels are bad and impractical message. I think women can be allowed to buy the shoes they like without your advice.

2022 - they…can…wear…what…they…like!

I don’t get what you don’t get about that.

I'm shocked that any of them are in the final, the business plans were abysmal and their knowledge of business in general has gaping holes that so called finalists should know. Most of them read like teenage school projects, they all referred to Internet research without seeming to check the credentials of the information or suppliers.
After so many series you would think that the ability to write a business plan and have a watertight idea would be prerequisites for the scouting team and the apprentices themselves.
The interviews were cringe worthy especially crying under questioning.
Oh my if this is the cream of the crop then I think the application process needs an overhaul.
Wearing high heals is the least of their worries!

I think women should wear what they want but there are still work places that feel they can insist on women wearing heels, although this does seem to be getting better

5/6 years ago I worked in a dress shop where you were told to wear a dress on Saturdays and could only wear jeans with heels

It started being phased out as i joined but i never wore heels there

I do not believe for one minute that the contestants are wearing what they like. What an amazing coincidence if every female candidate ever favours massive high stilettos and a brightly coloured pencil dress.

The contestants are obviously told what to wear. Just look at the scene where the fired candidate goes off in a taxi - always in a big coat and scarf, regardless of the weather, presumably to give to impression of being 'out in the cold'.

Honestly, how many career women do you really see dressed like that, in London at least.

My son said exactly the same thing saleorbuy regarding their errors and oversights on the business plans.

‘Every year this happens, why don’t they have this basic information about their own ideas if they want someone to help them with it’

He’s 17.

But guess what he hasn’t done - not once - commented on their looks.

A friend’s daughter has just qualified as cabin crew. They have to wear heels , not short ones either to walk to the plane in. I despair…

Heels do damage feet - it's a fact.
Sorry if you don't like it.