Jezebel 
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New York, 5:03 AM
Fri Nov 27
2 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/23/09
10/22/09
I love my sneakers. Yes, I am That Girl. The one who went to homecoming in a shiny dress and All Stars.
And flip-flops. I am oddly allergic to socks, unfortunate given that I live in Wisconsin.
Plus, I fractured my ankle and completely tore the tendon back in college. I refuse to be told I'm unsexy, unprofessional or unfashionable for choosing not to wear shoes that would be dangerous for me. #highheels
10/23/09
10/22/09
#highheels
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The thing is, really high heels and narrow shoes do cause foot deformities, ankle strain, and knee damage. So, though I know a lot of people like them, be careful. Wearing them continuously will catch up to you. My Nana had terrible hammer toes, bunions, and knee trouble from hers by the time she was my mom's age. My mom has worn sneakers or flats her whole life...no foot, knee, or other problems.
I do get the whole "grown up heels" thing, though. I just dislike the fact that there seems to be no middle ground. I miss the days of Monk shoes and other chunkier options. I don't think I should have to pick between total flats or heels or nurse shoes. #highheels
10/22/09
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10/22/09
I'm a flats girl these days; working for yourself means you can wear whatever you want and for me, that's skinny jeans and moccasins or flats, period. However, sometimes I long for the days of workin' for the man, when I had to dress business-y and had all these awesome shoes. One of the best buys ever was a dark-chocolate suede pair of pointy-toed Calvin Kelin stilettos. Got them at DSW and for the life of me I can't remember what I spent. I just remember trying them on and taking a spin down one of the aisles, and realizing, holy shit! These are COMFY!!! The soles were rubber, too, and I never once fell on my ass. The only problem was that since I wore them so much, they started to smell like dead animals. I had to retire them, sadly. The smell was just too much. #highheels
10/22/09
To which I say: Find better heels.
I'm a dominatrix. I spend a lot of time in six inch heels. And oddly enough, the general rule seems to be that the skankier the heels look, the more comfortable they are. I don't know why this is true but it proves that comfy high high heels are possible.
I feel like everyone has this idea that heels are supposed to be excruciatingly painful, and so they buy shoes that hurt because it doesn't occur to them that those shoes probably just don't fit right. If you try on a pair of cute heels and they are painful, try on a different pair.
My feet are weirdly shaped -- they're really, really wide -- and I buy all my shoes in thrift stores. If I can find comfortable heels, so can the rest of you.
(I live in New York as well. If your heels don't suck, subway stairs aren't a problem.) #highheels
10/22/09
I have wide feet and short toes. So i need a size 6.5 for the actual length of my feet, but like a 7.5 for the width. FUCKING ANNOYING. Have never really found super comfy shoes besides sneakers and flip flops, though i rarely wear sneakers. Where might i find these skanky-comfy shoes without having to look like a stripper 24/7?
Looking like a stripper 4/7 would work though. #highheels
10/22/09
@lynxwings: If you are regularly wearing 6 inch + heels, your feet are used to them. Your tendons are probably either naturally short or have gotten shorter with wearing them. #highheels
10/22/09
For skanky shoes you can try Ellie. Stripper shoes are made with the understanding that you have to be able to dance in them.
If you live in a place with good thrift stores, check them out. Shoes that are a little worn are usually more comfortable than new ones. #highheels
10/22/09
I do own one pair of high heels though, that I bought for a formal event I had to go to about 4 years ago. I haven't worn them since. Everytime I move (which I do a lot) I keep them, just in case. Thankfully, I haven't had a case. I'm in my early twenties and don't have that many occasions to dress up for but when I do, I still feel rebellious enough to go with flats. #highheels
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I cannot live without them. My toes used to be rubbed raw wearing flats with no socks. #highheels
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Maybe it's not you. Have you tried YSL? I know it sounds expensive, but I got mine from DSW. #highheels
10/22/09
Neither.
No, seriously - I can't really wear heels - damn titanium plate in my ankle. Got it in the war. Or I slipped on ice. One of the two. #highheels
10/22/09
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10/22/09
"Fashion has given us shoes as decorative objects, not footwear."
Well, yes, but that's hardly anything new. People have been decorating the things they wear about as far back as we can find, and ridiculous footwear is hardly anything new.
Unless you're telling me that people had really long, pointy feet in the middle ages. #highheels
10/22/09
@Wit is periodically disensouled: And for heels and platforms... (I cannot imagine walking in these!) #highheels
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And actually, you know, it is interesting to see what fashion says about the cultural attitudes. In the 90's, there was the Grrl power movement, a lot of forward momentum for women, and more reasonable shoe choices.
Then we had a turn back to the ridiculous without much in between.
And now we're swinging back to more comfortable with a new president.
It's possible it's all coincidence, but I don't think it necessarily is. It's like corsets. They were a their height of popularity when women didn't have rights as basic as the vote here. And then we got it and suddenly fashioned became more loose, with leaner lines.
My point is really that it's not completely separate because all these things kind of exist in the culture together. And sometimes fashion may, in fact, mirror some issues going on in society. If fashion is an art form, and you can argue it is the most accessible art since everyone has to wear clothes...then it will inevitably reflect themes in the culture. #highheels
10/22/09
Sometimes a peasant girl would be married in a nice clog... #highheels
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