I came to a sad realization last week at the widespread panic concert that the flats I was wearing were just as uncomfortable as any of my 3-4inch heels: ( I have sworn on my blistered feet that I will never buy another pair of flats unless if they offer true support to my soles. What's the point of being my height if I'm not comfortable? #highheels
Thankfully my intended career path is more along the lines of Chuck Taylors or hiking boots (archaeology).
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
@heavymetalkarma: Ooh, you're into Archaeology too! I've literally just started my undergraduate course in Archaeology and Anthropology, after years of summers on training digs. Even when I'm not I wear my doc martens or converses because they are JUST THAT AMAZING :) #highheels
My husband is 5'4", exactly the same as me, so I got out of the heel habit about ten years ago and my feet are much happier. Still, I wish there were more gorgeous, comfortable options that were between ballet flat and sky-high height. I would buy them. My current favorites are these by Gentle Souls:
@MadameU: The lack of options in between is dead annoying. I'm taller than my boyfriend by about an inch and a half, so I don't ever wear heels at home and have an extensive flats collection. But now I'm away on fieldwork and thought I know, I'll get some heels, might as well since I don't have to be short anymore! The lowest ones I could find were like 4 inches. I'm wearing them gleefully now, but my feet are a bit like, wtf? Something a bit more in between would be nice. I have one old pair of kitten heels but pretty ones are very hard to come by. #highheels
I like the look of heels. I even own a few pairs. But I almost never wear them. I'm tall and awkward and have poor depth perception, even in flats, and adding heels to the mix is a recipe for disaster. I joke that I'm like a drunk baby giraffe in heels. I'm so happy that flats have become trendy, even for dressed-up occasions, and find them more and more available in stores. Some of my cutest pairs are from Old Navy and Target. I wear flats so often, my family members have taken to calling them "Sarah shoes." #highheels
I have super high arches and cannot wear high heels. They make my arches and heels ache. And if my feet are going to hurt, I want it to be from the long walk I just took, not my shoes.
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
@tiredfairy: I have super-high arches as well, and congenital hammer-toes (even the big one) that don't hurt but are tough to wedge into shoes. My biggest challenge, though, is finding something that I can wear socks under. I can't wear mules in slushy snow! #highheels
@f-words: DANSKOS Danskos Danskos! I can't say it enough! I have high arches as well and didn't realize how much they were bothering me until I got a pair of professional clogs. Luckily, they have mary janes, sneakers, boots -- all sorts of styles. I wear my clogs with wool socks. #highheels
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
Every time there's an article like this people talk like heels are always, always horrifyingly painful and make you into an invalid.
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
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
@unalteredone: Try Zappos, they sell a pretty wide selection of wide shoes.
@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
I feel foolish in heels. Awkward and uncomfortable, like I'm trying to play some as sophisticated grown-up woman that I'm not nor do I really want to be. So I don't wear them. Ever. It's not just for physical comfort, but social comfort.
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
I walk 10 minutes to and from the subway every day. The only time I ever wear heels is when I have a meeting involving my ex-boyfriend. We're the same height, and I like to look down at his bald head and make him feel inferior.
@Lady Skittlehattington: I've got lots of skills. One of them is looking UP at guys & still making them feel inferior. You & I - it's a win-win. Let's call the company "Superior Attitudes". #highheels
the jokes on us since 85% of flats aren't really that comfortable anyway. sure they have a cute little bow on them but meanwhile they're chewing the shit out of your heel. #highheels
@Sunday's child: So far I haven't been able to find shoe liners that are mostly covered by the shoes, so they just look stupid. So yeah, I wear many of my shoes without socks/liners. And my feet suffer for it. #highheels
@Ri_L: I love the way they look too, but sometimes the heel is so damn thin that it's hard to balance on! (Or I'm just inept at walking in heels. This is quite possible.) #highheels
@cate3710: I think there are a lot of shoes that are more poorly made than any of us -- especially the manufacturers -- are willing to admit.
Maybe it's not you. Have you tried YSL? I know it sounds expensive, but I got mine from DSW. #highheels
@MargaretMoony: I can attest to this too. The only pair of heels I was ever able to wear all day is from Aerosoles and they are pretty cute. #highheels
"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
@PilgrimSoul: I think we're going a little apples to oranges, here. For one thing, most of the truly extreme footwear in the middle ages was for men. I'm just trying to say that it seems a bit disingenuous to be attributing ridiculous footwear to Sex and the City and "fashion" and looking as far back as... 1990... for the purposes of comparison. There have been trends that swing back and forth between comfortable and ridiculous shoes for about as far back as we have had shoes. Right now it feels like we're swinging back towards comfortable... which is fine, but I wish all these articles about evil fashion shoes would stop acting like they're a new thing or an aberration or a symptom of what is wrong with society. #highheels
@Wit is periodically disensouled: Well, no one is actually saying they're new. I don't think we need a caveat in every article that says, oh yeah, we've had ridiculous fashions before. You can look at old HS pics and figure that out.
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
I steal the stocking thingys for trying on shoes at stores and wear them with my flats. They prevent blisters and keep your feet slighter warmer when it's cold out! #highheels
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
10/23/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
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
10/22/09
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
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/23/09
10/23/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
I cannot live without them. My toes used to be rubbed raw wearing flats with no socks. #highheels
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
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
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
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
10/22/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
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
10/22/09
10/22/09