Heels are hot. Boots are even hotter.
I think there’s been one women who’s said she’d wear heels that hurt (out of what, 50?). The rest of us have said we don’t wear shoes that are uncomfortable, including the shoes with heels.
I used to be all feminista about high heels being medieval torture devices, too. Refused to wear them, declared them to be all kinds of harmful and evil, never even tried them. Then I started noticing how sexy women’s feet are. And then I tried them, and discovered that they don’t actually hurt unless they’re a bad shoe. (And notably, I’ve had flat pumps that hurt my feet, too, and have actually never found that kind of shoe to be comfortable, in spite of the lack of heel. Stunningly, I chose to stop buying and wearing flat pumps, and it never occurred to me that I should keep wearing them and then bitch about how painful and torturous they are.) And then I realized that some things just don’t need to be taken all that seriously. They’re just shoes. Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to dress up or do things just for fun.
If I walk around for 5 or 6 hours once every couple months in comfortable, non-painful high heels, I promise I’m not permanently damaging myself in such a minimal amount of time, especially given that I spend nearly all the rest of my time barefoot. (I work from home, hell, I’m usually barefoot AND in jammies.) If it were that easy to hurt myself, I wouldn’t be able to run, either.
Also, I’d like to point out that men commonly wore high heels for the sake of fashion not all that long ago; and less commonly, still do in certain subcultures. It’s never been the exclusive purview of women.
I used to have a set of four inch heels that I could wear all night. Then they wore out. I miss those. The heels I’ve had since don’t measure up. I really like the height boost since I’m 5’4".
I normally wear flat boots or motorcycle boots, and that’s about it.
Some, heels, yes. I like comfortable pumps and certain high heeled boots. I don’t dislike them, but I also like flats too… My current favorite pair of shoes are five fingers, which are about as opposite from heels as you can get.
Sometimes, I do see shoes in the store that simply don’t make sense to me. I can’t picture wearing them to any place I go or even could imagine going. I can’t think of a single situation that would call for that shoe. I’m stuck staring at them and thinking “Who is this woman? What does she do? Where is she going that this is the appropriate shoe for the occasion?”
I don’t like them. They don’t seem to do much for the posture, and I’ve read bad things about their effects on the feet. Beyond that, I’m 6’4" and even with heels, most women are much smaller than me (Hi, Terra1041) so it makes little difference to the view.
I like them. A good pair of heels can be really comfortable and IMO give a better sillhouette.
I used to be able to run in four inch stilletos but now I’m middle aged and I stick to the miggle ground of 2 - 3 inch wedge or other sturdy heel.
I was wearing flats (not quite ballet pumps, but flat with no arch support) for a while, but they contributed an injury and my physiotherapist told me to chuck them out.
Heels are nice as part of a dressy look, but in and of themselves, they don’t do anything for me. They don’t particularly bother me, either, like most things they certainly CAN look good.
There are some scenarios, of course, where they’re a notoriously bad idea. In the middle of a New England snowstorm, in the woods, on the beech, in the midst of a military operation (unless you’re a mounted knight, of course) but I’ve always found most of the ‘against’ arguments ah, a little over the top. I’d be against any scenario where they were required, but as far as I know, that doesn’t happen. (If it does, I am mildly outraged)
While I’ll concede the legs and ass thing, to a point, it’s usually not necessary. And there ARE other ways to achieve it.
I find the sound a bit annoying, too, which is odd, as clunky-boot sound sounds don’t bother me.
Boots, now, that’s a different question altogether. With a few exceptions. Those high flat-platformed clunky-boots are ok, but those spike boots, with platforms under the front part to make the spikes higher? What the hell? “God-damn, I like women, but you know what would improve them? HOOVES!!” Those aren’t for real life, though, so no arguments besides aesthetics apply.
Or sandals. Sandals are . . . nice. To clarify: gladiator sandals are the ones that look like full boots made with leather strips, right? What were the lace-over-the-calf sandals called? (that actually looked like 70’s era gladiator-wear?) I liked those. A lot.
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Did see a neat pair of boots once. Gigantic, mid-thigh supervillianess/dominatrix spike-type things, but with no heels at all. They were oddly badass, despite being basically hip waders with lots of extra zippers and straps.
I associate them with women of an older generation (my generation was wearing earth shoes, hiking boots, sneakers, or going barefooted), and uptight stuffy office environments (where women all have to wear skirts hose and heels and men have to wear sports coats and ties and solid color shirts) and awful ruinations of one’s toes and ankles.
And they clatter something awful. Kok kok kok kok kok.
Just out of curiosity, I’d love to see an example. I mean, I occasionally think the same thing, but I’m always interested in what people’s idea of “Where the hell is THAT appropriate?”
I mean, a few years ago, everyone was walking around in what were essentially bedazzled house slippers. I don’t care how comfortable they are, there’s nowhere outside of the house where they’re appropriate.
Sigh.
I certainly wouldn’t expect you to take the word of people who actually wear them or anything, but; heels are not inherently painful, they are not inherently hard to walk in, they are not inherently anything except high. They come in an endless variety of styles, heights, shapes, and anyone who wants to wear them CAN find a comfortable pair.
You really find it easier to believe that we’re all retarded and endlessly torturing ourselves than that there are comfortable heels? Because that’s, well… retarded.
I was going to reply to that same post but DianaG basically said everything I was going to say.
I was going to say this, but you already said it. 
Seriously people, I am almost as low maintanence and intolerant of BS as you can get. If I’m wearing a nice 3" wedge, you can bet it’s perfectly comfortable. Not that I would work an 8-hour shift on my feet in them, but for normal life, they’re great.
I wore these yesterday for 14 hours, including the three miles that I walked back and forth from the train. I can’t do that in ALL of my heels, but clearly, it’s possible to find a heel you can do that in.
(Really, I’m just showing off my new boots here. Are those frakkin’ fabulous or what?)
Well, they’d be better with actual legs in them. Or should I say “gams”?
Ohhhhhh, yes. Those are fabulous. ::wanders off to see if Zappos has my size::
Help a girl out? Brand??
Love those.
They’re Isola, the style name is Gabriella. They come in black and in grey too.
I love them, whether its for general every day wear at the office, or for a night out on the town, or for dancing the night away, a good pair of heels is a must. I’ve got pretty good at picking out the comfortable ones, and I can wear my dance shoes for a good 4-5 hours and dance without pain.
Male. Love the look of a woman in heels. But - and unfortunately this is rare - the woman has to know how to walk in them. Way too often you see people in heels who look as if they are 4 year olds stealing shoes from Mommy’s closet.
I’ve dated/married women who don’t like heels. It’s not a deal breaker, and hey, it’s her feet not mine, but if she wears them well (and believe me, the current she does)… YOWZER.
I love them. Unfortunately I can’t wear them for very long because of myofascitis, but I still give it the old college try.
Now I stick to kitten heels and espadrilles, they give me more support and still have the cute look of heels.