Photo by Flickr user Katie Stein. Used under a Creative Commons license.
So last weekend I wound up not only out of the house in the late evening but on my way to a restaurant in a trendy part of downtown. While cruising for parking we saw a number of majorly decked-out pedestrians heading towards one of the popular nightclubs. Maybe it’s because it’s been unseasonably warm for the usually chilly Pacific Northwest, or maybe it’s just because I don’t get out enough, but I noticed many of the women were wearing very short skirts and extremely high high-heeled shoes.
Call me a fuddy-duddy, or an incompletely reconstructed ex-hippie, or maybe just a prudish libertine but…
I know the idea behind high heels is they’re supposed to be sexy. But my very strong impression is that those things are pretty much impossible to walk around in without a kind of weird bent-knee gait that’s… actually a little more alarming than sexy to watch. Update: I ought to add that by “alarming” I don’t necessarily mean “oh those poor dears might fall over at any moment. “ Because obviously with just a little practice let alone longtime use even high heels are perfectly navigable. Nor am I referring to various reports of bunions, shortened tendons, and other potential medical complications. The people I usually see wearing high heels are capable, intelligent, coordinated adults who are perfectly aware of what they’re doing and why. I just mean I’m alarmed to be so evidently out of touch that walking on bent legs with your arms waiving around for balance just seems gawky and uncoordinated to me. Instead of cool, svelte, and drop-dead alluring.
And yeah, I know and appreciate the argument* that on many, many levels the way fashion is supposed to work is for the benefit of the wearer, and that the opinions of onlookers are supposed to be somewhere between irrelevant and intrusive. But…
I don’t know. I’m more of a fan of things that make knees weak and feet point and toes curl naturally. None of which, outside of certain branches of BDSM, involve trying to stay upright while crossing broken pavement.
That’s totally my personal, maybe even idiosyncratic opinion. There’s plenty of room in comments for opposing views. I’ll happily stand corrected.
* See Phoebe Maltz of What Would Phoebe Do for a far more nuanced take on who fashion is and isn’t for.
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You totally made me laugh :)
Submitted by Ligeia (not verified) on Wed, 2010-09-29 10:59.You totally made me laugh :)
I ought to add that by
Submitted by chingona on Wed, 2010-09-29 22:47.I ought to add that by “alarming” I don’t necessarily mean “oh those poor dears might fall over at any moment. “ Because obviously with just a little practice let alone longtime use even high heels are perfectly navigable. ... I just mean I’m alarmed to be so evidently out of touch that walking on bent legs with your arms waiving around for balance just seems gawky and uncoordinated to me. Instead of cool, svelte, and drop-dead alluring.
I hadn’t really put it all together until I read this post, but I have seen exactly the gait that you’re describing several times this summer. Each time, it struck me as a little odd because women who wear heels frequently tend to walk pretty well in them.
But the thing is, the heels are really, really high this season. REALLY. HIGH. Last month I was shopping for some heels to wear with a dress I’d bought for a wedding and I was so out of my league with these shoes that I ended up getting flats. I’m not a real frequent wearer of heels, but with certain outfits, on certain occasions, I just don’t think flats cut it. Yet there I was in flats (found some cute sandals, so it wasn’t terrible, but still) because there was absolutely no way I could put on those heels and not look like a complete dumbass.
So yes, even high heels can be perfectly navigable … with a little practice … and I think this year there are more women than average out in heels that they haven’t had much practice navigating in.
Many women don't get as much
Submitted by fiveofnine (not verified) on Thu, 2010-09-30 05:02.Many women don't get as much practice now a days. They live in sneakers, trekkers or a shoe with a sports bottom, most of time.
Remember when women wore heels everywhere from the time they were 18 or wedges at home.
There has to be a suttle knee bend to shift the weight to your heel and put most of the stress in your thigh and keep your balance. Many of the foot problems come from wearing a shoe that is too small, this can happen with wearing flat shoes.
This may sound weird to most people, but most sneakers hurt my feet. They have to round toe and stiched a certain way for me to be able to wear them.
A much more flattering picture would have been of Argentine Tango dancers.