What's up with High Heels?

So I was watching one of my favorite crime drama TV shows a few weeks ago and I saw the main female detective running after a criminal and noticed that she wasn't running too fast because she had very high heels on. It got me to wondering.. yeah I know why gals on TV wear high heels.. if heels are really all that "in" anymore.

So I started looking and noticing:
  • Almost every gal on TV wears very high heels.. I suppose they believe it complements their plunging necklines.
  • Women shopping at Walmart wear very high heels.. some higher than others but most of them seem to wear them.
  • Walmart workers seem to all wear comfortable shoes.
So it got me to asking:
  • Given that they are not all that comfortable - why do women wear high heels?
  • Is this dress standard inflicted from within or without?
  • Is it all about looking good for the guys who don't seem to really dress that great these days? In truth most guys look like slobs compared to 20 years ago.
  • Is it about looking "professional"? Do heels make a female cop look more "professional"? Is this an uncommunicated and informal expectation in Corporate America?
I hope this post does not come across too chauvinistic. In general I think that guys don't usually get fashion trends.. but this one has been around for a while.. I am just wondering.. please don't shoot the questioning messenger.

14 comments:

  1. I don't have a clue on this one. Why would anyone want to wear something that must surely stress leg muscles and lend to balance instability? We must have feminine insight here.

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  2. Uh, because they look good?

    High heels make a woman's legs appear longer, make her taller (which most women seem to want) and stretch the calf muscle giving a more pleasing shape to the leg. Women in flats often appear "dumpy" Especially flats with a dress.

    It seems pretty straight forward to me.

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  3. All I know is that I wear them because they make my calves look good.

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  4. All I know is that I wear them because they make my calves look good.

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  5. It is about height. All the woman I work with wear them so they feel for equal to the men.

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  6. Hmmm.. interesting 4 guys commenting and no gals so far..

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  7. ..and that is assuming John is a guy :)

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  8. I can't wear them anymore. I'd like to wear a little bit of a heel with dress clothes...unfortunately, because of health issues, I guess I look "dumpy" in my flats.
    But, then, I'm already over 5'10", so height is not the issue.

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  9. I've never been a heel wearer. At 5'7" I already feel tall enough, and even when I was young I couldn't walk in the dang things! Now, with significant back problems, I wouldn't even think of them. To be honest, I've always thought it was a custom a little bit analogous to Chinese foot binding -- women torturing their feet in order to walk in a way that some men find attractive, and also to make themselves more physically vulnerable to enhance that image of feminine helplessness. (sorry, that's my inner feminist peeking out)

    In warm weather (half the year here) I live in skirts, and if skirts and flats make me dumpy, then I'll elevate "dumpy" to my signature style!

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  10. This post made me laugh. And it made me go measure the heels on the boots I'm wearing. Three inches. I doubly love them. Because they're heels, and because they're boots, which I don't get to wear too often in Florida. It's 64 degrees tonight, so I decided to pass on my usual sandals and enjoy my boots (I also have a pair of slip on sandals with heels).

    Why do I wear high heels? I don't know. I just really like them. I'm 5'10" and I think I avoided them for a long time because I was so tall, and it seemed "wrong" to make myself even taller than people I was already taller than. Then, my roommate in college was 5'12" (she thought that sounded better than 6 foot), and for some reason I thought, why should all the other short girls have all the fun wearing heels? Now I love wearing heels (though I remember showing up for work my first day at the podiatrist's office and the doctor's wife, who was the front office manager, was appalled!)

    It's funny because I don't wear them because I think men find them attractive. I wear them because I like them. It never occurred to me that I might be more vulnerable or helpless with heels on. I can run just as fast in my heels as I can barefoot (obviously I can't run very fast :-) ), and I think if someone tried to attack me, my kick or stomp would pack a bigger punch with the poke-y end and the higher pounds-per-inch (I read somewhere how much I "weigh" with each step, with all my weight consolidated in that smaller space.)

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  11. They make you feel sexy when you wear them. But I don't wear them because I like my feet (uncrushed). The one and only time I wore heels to a nightclub, I got over the sexy feeling very quickly, by the end of the night my feet were so swollen they couldn't fit in the shoes anymore (biggest mistake I guess is to take them off!) so I left them right there on the stairs on my way out and got on the tube barefoot! It felt sooooo much better even though I got funny looks. Hehe:)

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  12. I do think they look nice on women, but I'm about practicality too, and I can't see that very well. I read that one of the actresses for "Twilight" was put in really high heels to support the fact she was supposed to be so beautiful, but the cast all laughed because she couldn't walk in them. They had to carry her to the set, then she did her 1-2 steps. Lots of takes, I guess.

    Glad guys don't have things like that. Oh wait, neckties...

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  13. high heels are comfortable if you know how to walk in them, not many women know how to they think they do but in all honeslty 98% of them dont they look good and feel great i been wearing high heels since was 11 and 22 now my feet hurt wearing flatts but thats just me, flats look good as well they dont look dumpy! some ladies cant wear heels, its not what your wearing its how your wearing it on your body that men talk about and look at.. you can have great person walk into place but is shy but looks great it isnt the same if you have a ladie walk in and know she looks good... if you feel good you look good thats all there is too.. since the begining its alwats been ladies that make the statment in a realtionship the men just make the money. most time guys cant keep up anyways even if the ladie is walking high heels...

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  14. "since the beginning it's always been ladies that make the statement in a relationship, the men just make the money..."

    Jessica, Jessica......

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