High Heels WTF is it about

[FattyArbuckel]

Why in this day and age do we STILL worship high heels

I think they are one step away from chinese foot binding and can't look around the pavements without cringing...

Really, why do women wear them? I think they look awful.

Rant over - just could not keep it in any longer today....

I wouldn't wear them if I was in pain or couldn't walk though!Who would?

Just to add to Dittany's list:

The people who think that people ought to dress a certain way because of their age/skin colour/gender/whatever

Oblomov - I'm sorry, but we'll have to agree to disagree. I think it is entirely inappropriate to think that everyone should dress a certain way.

What like women should only wear flat shoes do you mean?

Really everyone that produces something goes to the effort of manufacturing it and advertising its existence. I don't see why it means I am expected to wear heels more than anything else that clogs up the advertised airways.

They are feeding a demand Some of us WANT to wear them and if I feel like wearing other shoes I do.The magazines I full of things that people have designed in teh name of fashion and most people pick and choose and don't feel compelled

Even Camper advertise. They do mostly only flat shoes. Are they ok? I guess so!

I just don't feel compelled to buy them either.

Who said 'women should only wear flat shoes'?

Well what are you lot talking about then? What do you want women to wear?

Heck, it's ingrained in girls from a teeny weeny age that high heels are The Way To Go.

Even Barbie's feet are so shaped as to be ready to slip into high heels.

I'd say that it's only when you stop to think about it, then you decide if you want to wear them or not. Either is ok, heels or flats, as long as no one's being forced.

I'd add though that the ruddy Sex And The City has alot to answer for in the 'squeeeaall, shoooees' mentaility that some people think they have to adopt.

But Dittany - the same argument comes when people talk about the WHO Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Everyone says 'I don't decide to formula feed because I saw an advert!'.

It's disengenuous though - clearly billions and billions of people are affected by advertising, as you say, otherwise why do the manufacturers and suppliers spend so many billions and billions of dollars on marketing strategies! They're not stupid - they know that advertising their wares creates buyers.

And I am beginning to see why feminists get so frustrated, when people a desperate to see them saying 'you can't do this' when you're not saying that at all! We're arguing about a culture that makes us want to do certain things, not about the people who make the choices to do them.

I am not being defensive really.

People are saying high heels are awful yet women are expected to wear them.

I just don't feel expected to wear them and am pretty sure I am free to choose.

Doesn't everyone?

I hardly ever see women trotting around in huge stilettos. Baggy old ballet slippers and crappy uggs yes.

I'm kind of used to that mentality, though, dittany, being a breastfeeding counsellor. YOu have a go at the formula manufacturers' unethical practices and suddenly everyone's jumping on your for apparentlyt elling them they're wrong for formula feeding! Pissing annoying, I can tell you!

It's funny that you don't see women wearing heels. My mum and sister both wear very high heels every day. My mum's feet are in ruins because of it. As far as I was concerned, all women my mum's age wore high heels and a lot of my friends too, all of them when going out in the evening. All females in the public eye wear heels from celebrity chefs to politicians, neverminding pop 'stars' and actors.

I was properly stunned by the height of the young 'uns heels in the pub last night. They are like stripper shoes. And they don't know how to walk in them (not being models etc) so they wobble. And then they do shots and fall off them, and their carefully bird-nested hair gets all vomity. Oh, and if they are really lucky, their boyfriend will hit them in the face and his friends will big him up, and the police will ignore this.

tangent, but got very cross last night.

Nope. Not at school, university, central London creative-ish industry, now school run and life. There is one woman I actively notice in the supermarket as she is clipping around in high heels. Everyday nope.

At night, at a party, more likely.

I see women in ridiculous heels all the time. Teetering about the office, in the supermarket, in ikea, in the trafford centre. Actually in ikea it was a heavily pregnant woman in 6 inch heels. It made me cringe every time I saw her. I can't understand women who wear heels when they will be walking some distance. On a night out/to a party fine but shopping?? I know one person who I have only seen in flats once and she was doing the race for life at the time. As I have already admitted I do love heels but there's no need for them in some situations.

My sis drives me mad wearing heels when we're out shopping, we have to finish early 'cos her feet hurt. And mum can't wear flats ever, she has heeled slippers, because the calf muscle has shortened and frozen. I'm much taller than them both and enjoy wearing comfy shoes thankyouverymuch!

is it a north/south thing? plenty of heels here - not in the village but lots in the small town/even more in the city, and they get even higher after dark....

after dark ...

I'm 5'10" and have never worn heels because I find them very uncomfortable (actually that's not totally true as I have two pairs of boots with heels which I bought to appeal to dh who had a bit of a 70s thing going on, but wear once in a blue moon). I find shoe shopping very difficult because most shoes for sale do have heels - the choice for work shoes is very limited. If I could wear court type shoes I'd be OK, but they are also very bad for your feet, and as I have high arches just incredibly painful (the problem is that you have to scrunch up your toes to keep them on).

My experience is that at work or for functions I am very unusual, and I do get comments. I don't really care what other people wear on their feet unless I'm walking somewhere with them and they are either walking very slowly or complaining about the pavement.

I do find it very odd that heels are seen as professional. I can see that wearing trainers or walking boots (my non work choices) would not be the right look but why heels should be considered more professional than flats is beyond me.

I take care of my appearance approaching 40 no more or less than I did in my 20s. I aim to wear clothes that suit me and that I feel good in and I've never worn make up. I'm really not bothered that I look older, after all I am older (and therefore more experienced, wiser - isn't that a plus?)

I don't judge women who do both, or men that do neither, but then I'm not very appearance orientated.