To think that high heels are just not worth it

[OrkneyGirl]

I've come back from a girls night out and feet are hurting like feck. Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of heels but omg why do I honestly wear them?

They actually do a great job of pulling in a tummy. If you stand sideways onto a mirror and go up on tip toes you will see how it flattens the tummy. That's the only good thing I can say about them . I can remember the amount of heels that were abandoned in the street on nights out I wore them in my youth but prefer comfort now 😂

I like the way they look- simple as that. Nothing to do with the patriarchy, or the male gaze. I think they look great, finish certain outfits better, and I like wearing lovely things.

But according to many on here, that would make me ridiculous, dated, silly etc.

Haven't worn a pair of stiletto types since my twenties. Haven't worn even block heeled boots for over ten years. I'm tall enough not to need them and mobility and balance are more important to me.

The two women I know who wear stiletto type heels are all about the male gaze. They are accomplished women in their fifties but to be honest they practically sweat insecurity out of their pores AND are very short. So wearing heels is probably more useful to them from a height point of view.

I think the right heel can be very elegant and can make or break an outfit. I don't wear them often, but when I do, I love the look of them.

Some people here seem to think wearing 'heels' equals tottering around in vertiginous stilettos. It's not always like that.

Trainers flats or clogs for me.
I dont think i could stand in heels it would feel as if im on skates.

I have some amazing high heel shoes that I do not wear anymore. I need to accept this and sell them not keep them because they are pretty and remind me of fun nights out.
How I danced in them I do not know.
I do not think I could walk in them now- and my knees are better for not trying

I like a mid-height, well-secured heeled shoe to bring me up to a towering 5ft 4.
I have short, muscular legs and tiny feet dominated by large ankles (half my foot is ankle). Relaxing the calf muscle and a couple of inches on a 26" leg makes a significant aesthetic difference. It also saves a fortune on altering the length of clothes.

Most flats are either unwearable (ballet pumps, loafers, court shoes- they just fall off when attempting to move) or hideously frumpy granny/ school shoes. A couple of inches of heel looks smarter in a smart outfit where birkenstocks, running shoes or boots don't do the job than boxy, strappy flats.

What matters most for foot health is working with the natural shape and movement of the foot. I've always worn wider shoes, and because I have to wear straps, I don't ruin my feet trying to keep shoes from sliding off. There's a lot of damaging flat shoes out there that are just as bad as many styles of heels.

It's good that heels aren't as much of an expectation as they were, but heels still have a place for looking smart and polished.

Really?

Not from what I've seen!

I had a pink pair of the skull shoes! I could stand up in them but barely walk. Wouldn't dream of wearing anything like that now.

@blahblahblah24
Did you also have the iron fist ones with the studs all over?
I am going to have to do some ebay listing! This thread has been a wake up call!

I struggled with lots of irregular choice shoes. The most uncomfortable shoes ever invented. But I can't part with all of them. Just in case.... even though my feet, ankles and knees are all telling me no.

I wore trainers with dresses in my teens, and boots in winter. It was fashion, but alternative. Used to dance for hours and never struggle walking home/ walking to get bus etc.

As comfy as trainers on a night out are, I don't think it's going to last. Young people need to differentiate themselves from their mums.

Even if we were Wearing trainers first.

Yes I had those exact ones in pink! I think I threw them away as they were scuffed. Give it another decade that style may come back but I certainly won't be wearing a style like that pushing 50. Plus I hope to neve wear heels again.

To be fair my DH would argue about wearing a collar and tie. He finds it massively uncomfortable and restrictive but certain occasions demand it.

YANBU. I like the look of heels and the way they change your leg shape and posture for the better. I was prepared to suffer sore feet in my 20s and 30s. Now I'm mid-40s and whilst I still enjoy fashion and like looking stylish, I am NOT prepared to wear heels and suffer the discomfort.

I used to love them so much in my 20s, they were definitely a must-have part of my preferred look and I completely scorned flats.
Ditched them for everyday when I realised how self-defeating it was to wear shoes that prevented me from doing what I needed to.
Ditched them for nights out/special occasions when I realised how self-defeating it was to dress for something I was looking forward to in shoes that hurt my feet, made me miserable and forced me to spend as much time sitting down as possible. That was about ten years ago and I’ve never looked back.

I would not say a heels-wearer is ridiculous, but heels themselves do always look ridiculous to me. My opinion is they just look shit, and people wearing them all walk weirdly.

If someone’s walking behind me in heels. I usually either stop to let them pass or cross the road - the clip clop noise is really irritating.

I wear heals and like them. I don’t wear uncomfortable heals, nor hugely high stilettos but I regularly wear, enjoy, and walk reasonable distances in heals. I even wear healed boots around the house sometimes in winter.

I’ve noticed a few more heals around the office recently from the younger crowd. Also abroad I noticed more woman in heals than in the UK, including USA, France, Italy and Singapore.

But certainly don’t wear them if you don’t like them and I’m glad there are more flat options than there used to be

They make you look and feel taller and slimmer. They open up outfit possibilities. They literally elevate a look.

Yeah cos my bone structure really cares how expensive my shoes are

The poster is right, and good quality doesn’t mean silly money necessarily.

I am cabin crew and live in heels, I’m one of the few that wears them in flight rather than flats. Comfy heels are amazing to wear. My feet are not misshapen etc and I also wear heels out and about in day to day life, I’m not changing unless I ever have to I love how they look and I love the attention (almost always male) that they bring, you’d be amazed how many men love feet in heels haha!

I genuinely do find them comfy, ok I like the look but if they weren’t comfy I wouldn’t wear them

All heels put your feet and legs in unnatural positions regardless of price.

Ive never read such a load of tripe. I'm empowered and self-confident without the need to cripple myself.

It's all about validation from the menz, yawn.

I still wear them. I’ve got several Irregular choice and Terry de Haviland. Definitely not for the male gaze. 🤣

Nothing more empowering and confidence building than falling flat on your face!