# Whore Heels, Why Do Women Wear Them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291 "2011-12-24T17:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/81 "2011-12-25T10:36:15Z")
> [@lshaw](#): > > Yup, so like I said, if people want to make something out to be an endeavor, try dancing with pointe shoes. Merely walking in heels is nothing in comparison. Child’s play. And my point is that, on the continuum of shoe insanity, with comfortable, sensible shoes at one end, and pointe shoes that actually damage the foot, heels are a lot closer to the latter than the former. And anyone who claims that heels are actually “comfortable” has a huge credibility wall to scale. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/82 "2011-12-25T14:52:22Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > To be fair, there is a learning curve with heels. > > I swore up and down I “couldn’t wear heels” and refused to do it. Then one day I decided, “screw it. Other women figure it out. I look like a college kid wearing flats with my suit. It’s time to learn to wear grown-up shoes.” > > I bought a very nice (and fairly pricey) pair of stable three-inch heels from a shoe designer known for his excellent craftsmanship. I had the help of a dear friend, who is a professional shoe salesman, who went through a lot of work to find me the best pair. > > Well, for the first week or so, it hurt like hell. I’d be hobbling around, taking tiny steps, praying for the time when I could finally take them off, and dreaded even short walks down the hallway- all the things that had convinced me before that heels were the devil. But I kept it up. After a couple weeks, I could wear them in daily life without too many problems. After a month, i was at full mobility. > > I now know these shoes as my easiest, most comfortable shoes and they are pretty much my go-to for most occasions. They don’t hurt me or bother me at all- and I often walk several miles in the course of a day. They aren’t sneakers, and I am aware of that when I wear them all day or walk more than a couple miles in them. But as long as you aren’t expecting them to feel like sneakers, they are perfectly fine everyday shoes. > > I now have a small collection of nice, professional, sexy, cute heels that I adore wearing. Someone - maybe here - tells the story of visiting friends in Paris and going to Versailles. They did a lot of walking, across cobblestones, in sneakers and were exhausted at the end of the day. Their hostess was wearing stiletto heels, and breezed through Versailles. You get used to them and they don’t become uncomfortable. They DO cause foot and leg issues if worn every single day for years and years, but few women wear nothing but tall heels. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/83 "2011-12-25T15:06:27Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > And my point is that, on the continuum of shoe insanity, with comfortable, sensible shoes at one end, and pointe shoes that actually damage the foot, heels are a lot closer to the latter than the former. And anyone who claims that heels are actually “comfortable” has a huge credibility wall to scale. I find a lot of tennis shoes actually “uncomfortable” - the vast majority of my time is spent in very lightweight Italian flats - and my “go to” tennis shoe is a paid of Keds. So wearing that much shoe - bulky and heavy and tied relatively tight - can be difficult. When I was running, I got used to wearing a lot of shoe (and running shoes are light), but I still wouldn’t wander around the house in them. I’m more comfortable in heels than I am in a pair of athletic shoes. Now, the flats I wear are lightweight and flat - but they have almost no arch support or padding. So for someone who is used to arch support, they aren’t comfy at all. In the summer, I wear a pair of Choco sandals out a lot. The brand is known for its high and frankly unforgiving arch support. They are the most comfortable sandals I’ve ever owned - after the first two weeks of summer. I’ve had Doc Marten’s on my feet exactly once - I know a lot of people swear by them, but bulky, heavy and unforgiving. Not my shoe type. I tried Keen sandals and really wanted to love them (my husband swears by his) and discovered that they hit me in the ankle bone. I know people who swear by hiking boots, or cowboy boots, or motorcycle boots, and people who think that flip flops are God’s gift to footwear (I can’t STAND that thing between my toes, its actually painful - my sister has - I’m not kidding - at least 50 pair of flip flops). I don’t think any shoes are inherently comfortable to all people, and until you’ve walked a mile in someone else’s - or made an effort to develop a level of comfort with them - or acknowledged that not all of us have the same feet, I think its best to accept that we are all different creatures instead of saying that some folks here are lying. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/84 "2011-12-25T16:51:09Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > And my point is that, on the continuum of shoe insanity, with comfortable, sensible shoes at one end, and pointe shoes that actually damage the foot, heels are a lot closer to the latter than the former. And anyone who claims that heels are actually “comfortable” has a huge credibility wall to scale. Agreed. And I would definitely stress that heels [do damage the foot knees](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/05/07/GR2007050700484.html). This is IMHO more about social norms. If the media advertised “sexy” women wearing flat shoes made of recycled tires (we called _those_ Jesus sandals) every day for years, then we’d have women say they wore those to feel “sexy”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/85 "2011-12-25T19:02:04Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > And my point is that, on the continuum of shoe insanity, with comfortable, sensible shoes at one end, and pointe shoes that actually damage the foot, heels are a lot closer to the latter than the former. And anyone who claims that heels are actually “comfortable” has a huge credibility wall to scale. I think maybe people are confusing two different things - there isn’t much doubt that excessive use of high-heeled shoes damages the wearer’s body. Not everything that damages your body is uncomfortable right away though - you can be damaging your body wearing heels frequently and not be terribly uncomfortable. Part of the damage is your body adapting to the unnatural shoes, with tendons shortening and thickening. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/86 "2011-12-25T19:49:38Z")
High heels are only bad for the body if she stands on them. When they’re pointed up in the air, there isn’t problem. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/87 "2011-12-25T20:15:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > High heels are only bad for the body if she stands on them. When they’re pointed up in the air, there isn’t problem. There ya go. The safe way to wear high heels. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/88 "2011-12-25T23:40:51Z")
> [@Bloodless\_Turnip](#): > > There ya go. The safe way to wear high heels. 😉 Umm… if they’re stilettos, don’t go feeling _too_ safe. 🙂 (ETA — Did you see _Single White Female_?) ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/89 "2011-12-26T00:06:44Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > 3"+ heels are automatically uncomfortable **and** whorish? > > Thanks for sharing. No kidding. How about because we like them and couldn’t care less what sexist jerks who label us “whores” think? > [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Wow, what a bunch of sexist garbage. I wear tall shoes (5-6" heels) because I like shoes. I don’t find them uncomfortable to walk in. I wear them because I like them, not because I’m a whore, or a slut, or begging for male attention. Assholes. Amen. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Come on people, they’re called _Fuck Me Pumps_, not Fuck Me Heels - you’ve got to get the word “Pumps” in there to achieve the right level of sexifying. What? _What?_ They are called pumps because _that’s what that kind of shoe is called._ The shoes are not named “pumps” so you imagine a man thrusting into my vagina. Are sneakers called that because you want people to think you’re deceptive or a thief? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/90 "2011-12-26T00:39:21Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > They are called pumps because _that’s what that kind of shoe is called._ The shoes are not named “pumps” so you imagine a man thrusting into my vagina. That’s not the point being made; the point is that “pumps” is more evocative of sex than “heels”, regardless of what the shoes are actually called. > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Are sneakers called that because you want people to think you’re deceptive or a thief? Actually, I always assumed that’s where the name came from; that at some point they were believed to be favored by sneaky people or for sneaking. Not that I put much thought into it admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/91 "2011-12-26T00:55:09Z")
I assumed it was because they were quiet, and the predominant shoe at that point was a hard soled wing tip type thing. Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/92 "2011-12-26T01:12:32Z")
For the same reason a tranny wears them: because they want to. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/93 "2011-12-26T01:13:47Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think maybe people are confusing two different things - there isn’t much doubt that excessive use of high-heeled shoes damages the wearer’s body. Not everything that damages your body is uncomfortable right away though - you can be damaging your body wearing heels frequently and not be terribly uncomfortable. Part of the damage is your body adapting to the unnatural shoes, with tendons shortening and thickening. Yeah, but heels are objectively uncomfortable, at least, at first. Heck, that’s why they tone those muscles. Muscles don’t tone without at least some discomfort. And one merely needs to watch a kid in training heels to see that it’s not some really easy thing that would happen in absence of people telling them that heels are desirable for some purpose. Oh, and I still don’t see the double standard everyone tries to make the “whore” thing into. It’s not like men who are just after sex are not also vilified. They are the creeps, the perverts, the potential rapists. Heck, guys that look at a woman the wrong way are horrible people. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/94 "2011-12-26T01:22:53Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > For the same reason a tranny wears them: because they want to. Is that why “niggers” wear sneakers? Or “chinks” wear sandals? What kind of shoes do “kikes” wear–expensive ones, no doubt? And as you have seen here, “cunts” wear all \*kinds \*of shoes. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/95 "2011-12-26T02:01:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Oh, and I still don’t see the double standard everyone tries to make the “whore” thing into. It’s not like men who are just after sex are not also vilified. They are the creeps, the perverts, the potential rapists. Heck, guys that look at a woman the wrong way are horrible people. Oh, those poor men. Bless their hearts. I trust that you can tell the difference between a man who is “just after sex,” and, say, a female lawyer wearing a nice pair of heels out to dinner with her husband. Can you see why I might get offended by the implication that she is a “whore”? The difference here is that to be called a “creep” or a “pervert,” a guy has to actually engage in creepy behavior. But you are willing to call a woman a “whore” when she hasn’t actually done anything at even a little bit whore-ish. Wearing normal, fashionable, female clothing is not “being a whore.” ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/96 "2011-12-26T02:05:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Oh, and I still don’t see the double standard everyone tries to make the “whore” thing into. It’s not like men who are just after sex are not also vilified. They are the creeps, the perverts, the potential rapists. Heck, guys that look at a woman the wrong way are horrible people. AHAHAHaHahahahahahAHAHahahaHAAH. Yeah, you’re right. There’s totally no difference between calling a woman a whore, and also somewhere someone thinking bad things about a guy who are “just after sex”. Bless your naive little heart. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Renie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Renie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/97 "2011-12-26T02:08:40Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Just think they look ridiculous, and kind of pathetic. Jeans, and a t- shirt, if you want to impress me. And bare feet. Wow..I didn’t know my husband was on here too!! Hi honey! (he prefers barefeet to feels too) ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/98 "2011-12-26T02:14:23Z")
> [@Renie](#): > > Wow..I didn’t know my husband was on here too!! Hi honey! > > (he prefers barefeet to **feels** too) Bolding mine. Either your husband has a very strong foot fetish, or his priorities are all out of whack. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/99 "2011-12-26T02:38:47Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > For the same reason a tranny wears them: because they want to. That word is a slur, and is a really mean thing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291/100 "2011-12-26T02:52:40Z")
There is a lot of name-calling and nastiness going on in this thread that needs to stop. Believe it or not, this issue can be discussed without throwing around disparaging terms. The OP did start it, I’ll grant you – but please, stop insulting comments now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whore-heels-why-do-women-wear-them/607291.md?page=6)