Are high heels extremely uncomfortable to wear? They look that way from the outside. Can’t say I see the point in them. And speaking of points, why the heck do so many of them have the toes pointed? That’s not how human feet are usually shaped.
The point is to add height and to accentuate the calves and extend the leg muscles for a more pleasing shape. One may disagree with the value of this but that’s the idea. Also, of course, people who just like how the shoes look from an artistic standpoint.
And stiletto heels— those seem like an accident waiting to happen. It must be tough enough balancing on them on smooth, level unbroken surfaces. But take a wrong step on a crack in the sidewalk, and well, I’m surprised there aren’t more broken or severely sprained ankles.
The point is to make the wearer’s butt stick out. Personally, like the effect but wouldn’t want anyone to make themselves uncomfortable just to please me.
I was including that into extending the leg muscles but indeed that’s part of it.
High heeled shoes are not made for comfort, safety, long term foot health, or any other mundane reason. LOL
I had no idea about the body shaping thing. A very heavy friend of ours was lamenting last night that she’ll never be able to wear high heels. The way she said it made it sound like getting to wear high heels was some sort of privilege. My first thought was how puzzling, they look like instruments of torture to me.
I find three-inch heels extremely comfortable and wear them almost every day. That’s known as a “mid-size” heel, and I choose substantial over spindly. That said, I started wearing heels in high school, and there was a learning curve! I also remember that it was difficult to navigate stairs, because my legs and feet would cramp during the climb. These days I most often get cramps when wearing flat shoes, because I’ve no doubt shortened my hamstrings with years of heel-wearing. I sometimes say I have Barbie feet.
I remember as a kid, I couldn’t wait to get stockings and high heels (pantyhose weren’t a thing yet.) One of the first pairs of shoes I had with (I think) 2" heels gave me horrific blisters the first time I wore them. It wasn’t long before I decided I hated shoes with elevated heels.
Unfortunately, they’re part of the Navy Dress Uniform, and even tho I got the lowest heels permitted, I always felt like I was going to fall off them. I can’t imagine wearing stilettos!
And the pointy toes?!?!? Insanity! I saw a woman wearing a pair that, I swear, looked like they were part of a costume for the Wicked Witch of the West - the tips almost curled up. I honestly don’t know how she walked in those things.
My shoe shelf is loaded with Skechers, plus one pair of black flat pumps for funerals and weddings. Life’s too short for painful shoes.
My mother didn’t usually wear very high heels, but she wore moderate heels for so many years that she became unable to comfortably wear flats; presumably her foot and leg muscles had adjusted.
She also had big toes bent permanently over the toes next to them. No, people’s feet aren’t shaped like those pointed-toe shoes, and wearing them does damage – though one thing to be aware of is that the pointiest portion isn’t expected to have any toes in it, but just to be empty shoe for the looks. That’s as I understand it, anyway. I just won’t wear the things; but then, I have a job that calls for work boots, and a social life that doesn’t care what you’ve got on your feet.
I do remember learning to walk in heels as a teenager. It takes practice.
I also remember that we had to warn people (in the 1950’s and '60’s) not to come visit us wearing stilettos; or to avoid the center hall grate if they did. There was a grate over a large heating duct in the middle of the main entry hall, and its holes were just the right size for a stiletto heel to go down into.
My now passed mom used to say that she had shortened her hamstrings by always wearing heels for decades [at that point I seem to remember she was mid 50s] She also had hammer toe, and planar faschitis.
Me? Unless it was required [school, church, store] I didn’t wear shoes winter or summer yes, I used to run out and get the mail in shorts and bare feet in a western NY winter] and I have what my dad and “Uncle” Charlie called LBMF feet [little brown motherfucker feet, in other words, what looked like Viet Cong NVA native feet that had not been crammed into shoes, my foot print looks like a classic bare foot] no hammer toe - not my feet. Can I walk in spike heels? Well other than the spinal stenosis and other issues have put me into a wheelchair, yes I could at one point walk in the damned things, not happily. I would wear 2 inch chunky kitten heel mary janes in black matte leather [not suede] if pushed to dress up. [Was actually thinking of checking the second hand market for used ultra chichi name brand spikes to get dressy with since I no longer have to stand and walk, maybe Louboutins or something.
I started wearing heels in high school, and there was a bit of a learning curve. But I was young and relatively fit so it wasn’t a long learning curve. Also, in my twenties, platform shoes were a thing, and they were easier to walk in (your foot is not in as steep an angle). In my thirties, I almost exclusively wore 3" strappy sandals to work. On weekends, I wore flat sandals or flip flops, so my legs etc. could recover. I loved wearing heels. It was nice to be taller.
I’m old now with oseoarthritis in my knees, so flats only from now on.
I’m a big girl with extremely wide feet. I did wear short heels a few times as a teenager, but never got the hang of them and disliked them in the extreme. I’ve always worn Flats since, and even my dress shoes these days are fancy birkenstocks. I don’t like shoes at all. I’m a hippie and a hillbilly. If I don’t have to wear shoes I don’t.
As said, heels are a fashion statement and an instrument of female objectification and submission. Which is just a wee bit out of social fashion these days. Despite how nice they make a well-shaped lady look.
Very few young women wear them these days. It is funny when I see a wedding or prom group, where you’ve got a gaggle of dolled-up 15-25yo women in fancy dresses and heels and it’s very obvious they’re no more used to wearing heels than their boyfriends would be. Lots of wobbly ankles, shifting from foot to foot, cautious teetering walking even on good surfaces, etc.
My late first wife never wore them, period. My new wife is trim but quite short. So prefers 4" heels. Looks Grrrrreat and she moves well in them. She also wears flats if there’s more than about a half-mile of walking involved. She hasn’t wrecked her legs to the point that flats are a problem. Not being able to wear flats is dangerous for old ladies. Which she is not yet, but is gaining on it.
I seriously recommend The Hidden Sex Life Of The Foot And Shoe. It delves rather deeply into the whole high heels thing.
Obligatory Bob Seger video, as required by law and all thats good and right in the world.
Besides being difficult to walk in, I can’t believe the price of fancy heels. My gf will buy a pair for a work dinner and they are maybe one gram of leather but cost >$200!
She shoe shops at a ritzy little place owned and operated by a guy with a foot fetish.
Same here.
I tried as an adult, tho. I actually got some basic heels (Walking Cradles brand, 2.5" heels) at the urging of a stylist, and they don’t feel bad at all. I was surprised at how they don’t hurt the bottoms of my feet or my knees or my toes.
However, walking is another matter. I can’t figure it out. I can’t walk and keep them on my feet. This is probably a problem with the fit not the heel…which is perhaps why “strappy heels” are popular. I can stay upright just fine but the shape makes my foot slide into the toe part, and the heel makes the heel end heavy, so it just feels like a war with gravity.
I do look stunning in heels, like every other woman. My dumpy short legs look long. My calves are BA-BAM and my butt is nice and rounded.
But, start me moving and I look like a toddler trying to shuffle-walk, concentrating dearly on gripping my toes to the bottom of the shoe lest I walk right out of them.
Flats for me.
I always thought those high-heeled Japanese sandals looked intriguing (see 8-inch example on bottom right):
but cannot recall seeing anyone actually walking around town in them.
Wikipedia suggests that one reason for wearing them, besides fashion, was the same as for those ludicrous (20-plus inch) Italian chopines: to keep the wearer clear of the filthy manky garbage all over the street.
I hit 5’10" by the time I entered my teens, and my feet are of a corresponding size. I was very shy about being taller than all the boys, and it was really hard to find fancy ladies’ shoes in my size, so I never did get into the habit of wearing heels. I’ve owned a few pairs with fairly low heels, but I find even those really uncomfortable. My mother wore moderate heels to work every day, and she always attributed her bunions to those years, but my bunions are every bit as bad, so I suspect genetics.