Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Ridiculously high heels - Apprentice Final Four

427 replies

axolotlfloof · 18/03/2022 22:28

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
LilaBellaRose · 19/03/2022 03:57

@Feelingoktoday
I thought it was illegal to dictate how women or men should dress.

How ironic on a thread with everyone literally shaming women for how they dress and pretty much dictating what they should wear 🙄

LoveFall · 19/03/2022 04:21

I had a successful professional career and never once wore heels. Ever.

Mummyoflittledragon · 19/03/2022 04:26

@Jaffapaffa

I also thought of the female temp, who was sacked for refusing to wear heels. Plenty of articles about it. This says the agency, which employed her changed its policy. www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/news/a561141/the-woman-who-was-sent-home-from-work-for-not-wearing-heels/

What really pisses me off is that you have a bunch of women working in a school, who may well have never worked in industry telling a bunch of impressionable kids how it is out there. If anything it’s going to put girls off office work. This would be my hill to die on.

Have you spoken to the head or governors?

Mummyoflittledragon · 19/03/2022 04:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlusteryLake · 19/03/2022 04:42

The Apprentice is dated in many ways, and the "business attire" is just one aspect. Alan Sugar's constant disdain for expertise, Karren Brady's disrespect for popular culture just because she can't navigate it, the stupid early morning phone calls giving 30 mins notice to get ready for the task.. Yawn.....

WTF475878237NC · 19/03/2022 04:45

I think it's sad that these four and other women perpetuate the social construct that high heels gives women who choose to damage their feet more credibility and power. We were taught in school that heels were invented by men to solve a functional problem with stirrups in c10th Century. But, it's filtered through over the more recent centuries into women's fashion because we just like to look as though our feet our smaller and we are taller. How shallow we are.

Glisil · 19/03/2022 04:48

Tell your students I got two promotions last year and I wear the same pair of Nike trainers to work every day 😱 (in a professional role). It’s only really shallow industries which care about about this.

LadyPropane · 19/03/2022 05:20

I was just coming on here to mention Finance! A lot of the time you'll find majority of the company in either smart casual or just jeans and trainers, but the finance team will be suited and booted, and yes, women in heels.

Not always, of course, but this is my experience.

I agree that it's very dated. A lot of businesses are run by people dressed in jeans and hoodies. It's just how the world goes these days.

I think there are situations that do demand a more formal approach, but that should not include heels on women, unless they particularly want to. If it's fine for men to wear smart leather flat shoes, then it is perfectly fine for women too. I cannot think of a single reason why it wouldn't be that isn't horribly sexist.

moonbedazzled · 19/03/2022 05:24

I love wearing high heels. I don't wear them for anyone else, I wear them for me because I like how I feel in them and how I look in them. I don't criticise other women for their clothes choices. I think that's rude.

WTF475878237NC · 19/03/2022 05:55

Moonbedazzled Do you wear them at home alone instead of slippers? If not then perhaps you like something about what you think they project about you to others and this gives you a feeling you like in return.

Jaffapaffa · 19/03/2022 06:01

Apologies for having derailed the thread from 'The Apprentice'!

And to those who ssy they don't believe me - well, I can't do anything about that.

I can certainly assure you that I teach in a state secondary - not an academy.

It's been incredibly reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my worries about this.

Thank you so much for all the comments - I will certainly use many of those in my discussions with the Head teacher.

Prettynails · 19/03/2022 06:05

I do not believe that a teacher in a state secondary is force to wear heels. Period.

I think maybe the poster was saying that her colleagues have said to get on they need to - I fucking hate heels years of problems with my feet - I can not get on with them blisters on every pair I have ever had. You can’t run in them etc and stairs are a nightmare - I just think we do women a disservice by buying into it. Blokes quick shower rub dry and suit on. Women shower wash hair dry hair style hair suit and tight dress makeup heels and making sure all of it colour coordinates - how the hell can you even compare meanwhile men sitting having coffee and relaxing or team working

Prettynails · 19/03/2022 06:09

@Jaffapaffa

Apologies for having derailed the thread from 'The Apprentice'!

And to those who ssy they don't believe me - well, I can't do anything about that.

I can certainly assure you that I teach in a state secondary - not an academy.

It's been incredibly reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my worries about this.

Thank you so much for all the comments - I will certainly use many of those in my discussions with the Head teacher.

What happens then - so they measure the heel? What happens on duty? Or if you have to walk downstairs carrying resources?

What happens if like me you can’t wear heels? Or if you are 8 months pregnant?

Please copy and paste wear the instructions are in your school policy as I don’t believe it - seriously someone has written a policy that women must wear heels at all times ? Pe staff, drama staff, disabled staff? 8 month pregnant staff? Or those with foot problems ? Or link to the school as I don’t believe it. And what even more so I don’t believe the unions haven’t kicked off about it

Chocoqueen · 19/03/2022 06:10

@Jaffapaffa

I've been told today that I have to teach my class (Y8) that heels are part of a work wardrobe for women, and that if you want to succeed, it's essential to wear them.

I've objected several times, but have been told that it's not optional.

I'm really not comfortable with this at all.

But yes, apparently there's still a school of thought that says women must wear heels to be successful - hence their appearance in The Apprentice, I suppose.

WTF? I've been promoted 4 times in 8 years to quite a senior management role and never wear heels - tends to be pumps or boots if I have a meeting with external stakeholders, trainers the rest of the time. Pretty sure women walking confidently in flats are going to be more successful than if they were wobbling about in heels*...

*Obviously lots women love heels and can walk in them, i don't think this will stop them being successful - I'm talking here about women like myself who wobble along at a snails pace trying to stay upright!

RandomBasic · 19/03/2022 06:15

I think @Jaffapaffa is not saying that the TEACHERS are forced to wear heals but that in careers talks with the children they need to say, make sure you are always on time, women must wear heels to get ahead.

ChiselandBits · 19/03/2022 06:17

@LilaBellaRose it's not shaming those 4 women as such, just their participation in a programme that makes them wear and look as they did which is so contrary to what most women now would wear on a business setting. It's so exaggerated. you could wear a dress with a jacket over it, smaller block heels, a trouser suit and flats. All smart options but their identical looks were parody.
The business ideas were ranging from terrible to 'meh' but that's not the point of the show anymore. The tasks are ridiculous.. Why should they be capable of making a baby food or tourguiding in Wales or Silverstone? Give them a premade decent product to brand and sell, sure, or put on an event to market like the cruise, but not actually run it with no knowledge of the random place. And no product would be developed without the creative and market teams in constant touch so all the tasks that fail because the two halves of the team didn't match up are not remotely helpful. Oh and the fact that Stephanie twice survived horrendous spelling / branding errors speaks volumes about the selection criteria.

Sbbhnfc · 19/03/2022 06:18

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wonders if Wardrobe and Costuming on the Suralan Show are stuck in a 1990s Time Warp...

In the real world, I keep noticing Finance, HR and some corporate departments, oh how they lurve their high heels...I've worked in the NHS a lot (not clinical) and over the years have observed that the higher the heels, the less actual real work the wearers do....you could spot the business consultants/external merger merchants a mile off as they teetered over the gravel...I also recalll a very newly qualified junior doctor skidding from one side of a ward to the other on their little kitten heels on their first day...the Trust made sure the dress code was hastily redrafted to include footwear...

Agree that the Apprentice is way past its sell by date now, as are many other reality tv shows. They're cheap programming though so I can't see any of the channels dropping them in a hurry...

DragonMovie · 19/03/2022 06:20

@Prettynails she didn’t say staff have to wear heels. She said she’s been told to teach y8 that you have to wear heels in the workplace to be successful.

Figmentofmyimagination · 19/03/2022 06:23

We all still watch it though (me included). Slightly off topic, just leaving this here.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ss-59fi4nM

It never dates…

glowingcandle · 19/03/2022 06:23

Like others have said...I work in the City and hardly anyone dresses like that anymore. It looks very dated to me.

Luredbyapomegranate · 19/03/2022 06:23

@Jaffapaffa

That’s bizarre.. heels aren’t normal in most offices anymore, so everything else apart it’s just not true. Who is telling you to say this? And surely you don’t have to teach anything that’s not on the curriculum?

Mummyoflittledragon · 19/03/2022 06:26

@Jaffapaffa
When you talk with the head, I think discussing disability discrimination would be applicable. I imagine there are children with disabilities in your school. Even if not noticeable physical disabilities, a girl with dyspraxia will likely struggle to wear heels.

speakout · 19/03/2022 06:28

*Jaffapaffa

I've been told today that I have to teach my class (Y8) that heels are part of a work wardrobe for women, and that if you want to succeed, it's essential to wear them.

I've objected several times, but have been told that it's not optional.

I'm really not comfortable with this at all.*

I can't imagine this is part of the curriculum.
You have been told it's "not optional"- ask them for evidence to back up their views.
Please don't teach crap.

Blinkingbatshit · 19/03/2022 06:30

“This is such bullshit though. Heels are very dated, even more dated than skintight dresses. I work in a senior role in the City and the only women I see wearing heels these days are very junior admin assistants.”
I agree with this statement from another poster….and will controversially add that I think heels these days make you look really ‘cheap’ - sorry, but there it is🙈😆

stayathomer · 19/03/2022 06:30

Doesn't it depend whether they choose to wear what they wear? This isn't an issue if they love heels and dresses (yes if they're forced to it's not ok) . And I don't agree The Apprentice is past its sell by date, give me that over any other reality show, plus at the moment it's a distraction for us from staring at the horrors on the news

Swipe left for the next trending thread