# Do you like high heels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518 "2010-11-22T05:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/41 "2010-11-22T15:56:01Z")
I voted yes because i like how a woman looks wearing them, but i do hate what it does to their feet. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/42 "2010-11-22T15:59:13Z")
I’m not as tall as **Terra1041** (I’m 5’8") but I’m a big girl, and tall enough that heels make me look even more monstrous than I am without them. Plus, I have humongous feet so I’m always trying to downplay them, not wanting people to notice them. The heels I’ve worn haven’t been too terribly painful, tho. But with big feet comes good balance. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/43 "2010-11-22T16:31:00Z")
I got my first pair of heels when I was 13. Gotta love divorced dads with no clue. For years I was most comfortable in heels and I wore them all the time. I could run quite easily in them and I felt off balance and uncomfortable in flats. Barefoot or heels were basically my only choices. I gradually began wearing lower heels and flats and now I’m a little wobbly in heels again, but I wore my favorite boots this weekend for the first time in ages this weekend and really enjoyed it. I feel way more confident in heels, even if it is winter and all legs and ass was covered by several layers of clothing. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/44 "2010-11-22T16:41:27Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I’m a guy and I like the look of a woman in high heels, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. You like what you like. I don’t insist that my wife wears them; she wears what she wants to wear. Most of the time it’s flats, sometimes it’s a low heel, sometimes it’s a high heel. She can wear whatever she wants, but yes, I do like the way a woman looks when she’s wearing heels with some outfits. > Sexy and comfortable is a great combination. This sums it up perfectly for me. My wife looks great in any shoe she chooses to wear because she has great legs and very pretty feet. High heels with a cocktail dress if we’re going out for dinner, well designed open toe flats in the summer. Ankle bracelets and toe rings add a nice touch too. I think I’m probably the only straight man on the planet who likes shoes and shoe shopping, for both men and women. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/45 "2010-11-22T17:19:37Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m not as tall as **Terra1041** (I’m 5’8") but I’m a big girl, and tall enough that heels make me look even more monstrous than I am without them. Plus, I have humongous feet so I’m always trying to downplay them, not wanting people to notice them. > > The heels I’ve worn haven’t been too terribly painful, tho. But with big feet comes good balance. I’m 5’8" as well, and I love the extra inches heels give me. Being able to meet 6 foot men eye-to-eye makes me feel powerful (though of course the shoes have to be comfortable and wearable as well - nothing powerful about wobbling all over the place!) I have quite small, pretty feet for my height, though, and good legs, so I like to show them off. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/46 "2010-11-22T17:26:42Z")
My girlfriend is only slightly shorter than I am, and has a fondness for 4- and 5-inch heels. She sometimes gets nervous about wearing them because she prefers for me to be taller than her, but I don’t have a problem with it when she wears them because hawt. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/47 "2010-11-22T17:29:38Z")
I’m a guy and I think heels are silly looking. They are actually a point against a woman I might have an attraction for in the same way I’d view really long fingernails - a ridiculous sacrifice of practicality to fashion. I’ll go a bit further and wonder, how many women do you suppose have been killed in emergencies (maybe even 9/11) simply because they couldn’t move quickly enough in their heels? Mens’ dress shoes can also slow you down, but not to the extent of high heels. I always get my shoes with rubber souls that I can move in about as well as sneakers. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/48 "2010-11-22T17:34:20Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I’ll go a bit further and wonder, how many women do you suppose have been killed in emergencies (maybe even 9/11) simply because they couldn’t move quickly enough in their heels? Mens’ dress shoes can also slow you down, but not to the extent of high heels. I always get my shoes with rubber souls that I can move in about as well as sneakers. I’d venture to guess that most women would know enough to simply take their damn shoes off if it came down to getting out of the WTC quickly or perishing in the disaster. Also…soles. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/49 "2010-11-22T17:49:25Z")
I would add to l\*\*orene’s \*\*comments that for most of us our thoughts when picking out the day’s outift do not start with: “hmm, but what if I’m caught up in a major terrorist incident?” ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/50 "2010-11-22T17:52:29Z")
Never cared one way or the other for years but lately I’ve started finding them more and more attractive. I don’t know what it is - late onset foot fetish maybe? So, my wife was surprised when I suddenly suggested she try them out. I understand why she doesn’t wear them but damn, she would look good. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/51 "2010-11-22T17:55:08Z")
I am a man, but not straight so when I see a woman in heels all I can think is the damage being done to her knees, feet joints and ligaments. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/52 "2010-11-22T18:17:31Z")
In general, all things being equal, I like them on women. However, if the shoes have extremely pointed toes, they are a turnoff. Ditto bare legs with heels. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/53 "2010-11-22T18:23:08Z")
I like wearing them if the are not pointed and don’t have a spike heel. I have quite a few pairs of 4 inch heels that are more the chunky heel style and they are really comfortable. Lower heels are worse than flats because my feet just slide into the toes. With a higher heel my weight rests on the ball of my foot taking stress off my heels (the right of which has a bone spur). ---
**Author:** ![Evelyn\_K.Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Evelyn\_K.Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evelyn_K.Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/54 "2010-11-22T19:34:49Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Poll coming. Basic question: do you like high heels? For women, do you like wearing them. For men, do you like women to wear them. > > I’ll answer for me: I like wearing heels. I prefer 4" because it keeps my weight on the ball of my foot, which in turn prevents me from putting much weight on my heels, which in turn keeps my feet from pronating, which then in turn keeps my knees from hurting. So I am in far less pain at the end of a night of dancing if I’m in heels. Plus I’m really short so they make me 5’6"! I’m really short too so that’s why I like to wear them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/55 "2010-11-22T19:49:16Z")
Female, hate 'em, especially the really tall spiky ones. Every time I see someone wearing them, I think about how precarious they look and wonder why someone would want to ruin their chances of getting out of a dangerous situation (or having to do it barefoot) just so they can make their ass look good. Wouldn’t wear 'em if you paid me, and even if I did, I’d never have the balance to manage them. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/56 "2010-11-22T20:30:14Z")
Hmmm. This seems to be going the way a lot of threads about so-called “girly” things go, with people attributing a mindset or a motivation to someone based on an erroneous assumption. When I wear heels, it’s because they’re the best shoe for my outfit and because they are comfortable. I am not sacrificing practicality for fashion, comfort for a nice-looking ass, or binding my feet. I don’t wear shoes that hurt. Period. Sometimes the cut of a skirt or a pair of pants looks better with heels. Sometimes it looks better with flats. There’s no suffering going on with my choice of shoes. If my shoes pose such a dire threat to my heath and safety that I cannot safely evacuate in the event of a fire, a bomb, or a plague of locusts, then I have far greater problems than the shoes I chose that morning. Likewise, if I buy a pair of shoes that are too high or unstable to walk confidently in, then I am an idiot who deserves to be mocked. Overall, though…they’re shoes. That’s it. Nothing to judge me on (unless you’re judging how \*\*awesome \*\*I am for all of my beautiful shoes. There is that. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/57 "2010-11-22T20:54:04Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Hmmm. This seems to be going the way a lot of threads about so-called “girly” things go, with people attributing a mindset or a motivation to someone based on an erroneous assumption. I get this a bit in real life, too. I wear lots of dresses with heels and hardly ever wear pants, unless they’re yoga pants- glorified sweatpants. It’s not (totally) because I’m girly, it’s because I hate things with stiff waistbands. I hate jeans and slacks, to me they are uncomfortable. So I wear pretty swirly dresses because they’re like fancy muumuus, loose and comfortable. So I get a lot of “Aren’t you dressed up!” when in reality I am dressing for maximum comfort. The heels and dress I wore to get an oil change this morning were far less to impress the folks at Jiffy Lube than to wear something similar to the nightgown I was wearing before I left. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/58 "2010-11-22T21:17:07Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > The heels and dress I wore to get an oil change this morning were far less to impress the folks at Jiffy Lube than to wear something similar to the nightgown I was wearing before I left. Well, Miss Fancy likes to live dangerously, eh? What if terrorists decided to attack the Jiffy Lube?! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/59 "2010-11-22T21:19:24Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Every time I see someone wearing them, I think about how precarious they look and wonder why someone would want to ruin their chances of getting out of a dangerous situation (or having to do it barefoot) just so they can make their ass look good. I don’t care how my ass looks in them. I wear them primarily because they keep my otherwise bad knees from bothering me when I’m going to be dancing or doing something similar. That and they make me taller. And I agree with **lorene** –my shoes don’t hurt or make me wobble around or anything like that. I wear them because they’re comfortable, they look good with what I’m wearing, etc. But I don’t “suffer” for fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518/60 "2010-11-22T21:27:25Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I don’t care how my ass looks in them. I wear them primarily because they keep my otherwise bad knees from bothering me when I’m going to be dancing or doing something similar. That and they make me taller. > > And I agree with **lorene** –my shoes don’t hurt or make me wobble around or anything like that. I wear them because they’re comfortable, they look good with what I’m wearing, etc. But I don’t “suffer” for fashion. God, I do. Not just in heels, though I have fairly often gone out in uncomfortable, breath-takingly beautiful shoes. But every time I wear waist-cinching undies, or a push-up bra, or a tight pencil skirt. Whisper it: sometimes I dress with the express purpose of having other people notice me and think I look gorgeous, even at the expense of my personal comfort. I don’t think that makes me less of a person. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-high-heels/561518.md?page=4)