Paying The Health Price For Wearing High Heels

[justlooking]

^um... it's just a warning for potential health problems later on. Better to know about what may be causing your back problems or foot cramping (and reduce the number of time a week you wear heels for eg) than not know at all.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"Flip-flops are close to horrible for the feet," Dr. Smith said. "They are totally flat, soft and squishy, and offer no support and no protection,"

fair enough. i'll throw out all my flip flops, but nothing is making me give up my heels

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

justlooking, thanks for the link.

I hope my flats aren't too tight (I have wide feet which makes fitting into shoes properly a nightmare) but at least they aren't pointy and shouldn't be crushing my toes as much.

 

[fashionispoison]

Yes, living is dangerous, you can die.

seriously huh.

well everything in moderation. if the shoes are KILLING you then change into a more comfortable pair! i find the article hilarious...seems like every shoe out there except orthopedic shoes are BAD BAD BAD well i'd like to see what that doc wears? oh and the flipflops...not having support etc...what do you think our ancestors did when they had no shoes? or what about when times evolved from that and moved onto shoes that had no padding?

 

[Yanka]

I only wear heels with platforms or wedges. Never had any problems. I think platforms is a great way to have a cake and eat it.

 

[kissablekae]

i like wearing heels more because my feet are more suited for it. flats hurt! but i wore high heel boots to work for 2 and half years and decided to stop because im scared of ruining my body. since ive stopped its been soo hard to find comfortable flat shoes! i waste so much money on shoes for work! im not crazy about flip flops either. but i do like Converse Jack Purcells, very comfy for me.

 

[tigerrouge]

Health isn't the only concern. I don't wear heels when walking around the city for safety reasons - I want to be able to wear shoes that I can stride with confidence in (or run in, if I have to). My concern is, if you're wearing heels and it's clear you can't walk too well, it marks you out as an easy touch to thieves and robbers.

For me, high heels are best saved for the moments when I don't have to walk much. And truly outlandish shoes, well, I only wear them when in the house.

 

[misssakura]

I find heels more comfortable...well I say "heels" but my old pair of shoes (inherited from my sister actually) which died a horrible death due to overuse (the backs of the heels were ridiculously sloped and the insoles came out, well got 12 years out of them)

They're very round toed, great support, they were boots up to the ankle, no lacing, elastic sides (sort of like in jodphur boots). I could walk around in them for hours and feel no pain at all, they were the best.

Then the trend of super pointy shoes came along, I have wide feet so I cannot wear them. I mean physically cannot cram my toes into those things, so I don't even try.

Now round toes are creeping back in but still very very slowly, and thick heels are still a time away from making an entrance back into mainstream fashion.

And that, is why I want those Stella McCartney platforms. *sigh*

 

[seanutbutter]

Health isn't the only concern. I don't wear heels when walking around the city for safety reasons - I want to be able to wear shoes that I can stride with confidence in (or run in, if I have to). My concern is, if you're wearing heels and it's clear you can't walk too well, it marks you out as an easy touch to thieves and robbers.

Exactly. I'm glad someone else feels the way I do.

 

[Ciao Bella]

I have always been told about the long term effect of high heels... however and that is a BIG however...I sure do feel FABULOUS when I wear them

A couple more points...

*I agree with fashionispoison with respect to moderation...there is nothing in life that won't kill you if overindulgence is your faulter point.

*I agree with tigerrouge... you can become a target of crime by being consumed by many things...your shopping bags, your cell phone, your 'crackberry' or your 120mm high heeled Christian Louboutin's...although the high heel of the shoe when used properly is considered and can be used as a weapon in self defense

*Another general doctors warning is women should wear nylons to prevent varicose veins....I am sorry, I do not want to turn myself into a human sausage link by encasing myself in nylons everyday...

Perhaps what I am saying is life is not life unless you live. We make choices..and I will never choose to be a wallflower....

I want fabulous shoes, fabulous wine and fabulous food all shared beside my fabulous husband!!!

Peace,love and high heels for me!

Ciao Bella!

 

[baRose]

Also, I thin the problem is what is considered "acceptable" in the workforce--that is, if you have a full on "professional" dress code.

I have a pair of Earth and Dansko shoes: the most comfortable shoes in the world, but there is no way in h*ll they would be acceptable at work unless I worked in IT or something with a casual dress code. Even in a “business casual” setting, its not appropriate.

It’s a professional faux paux to wear flats with a skirt suit. The only acceptable way to wear flats is with a pants suit, so I have been told many times. Heels make you look taller which gives you an air of authority.

When I got to interviews, I’m practically suffering, because, even platforms are not appropriate.

Until the pressure to look a certain way in the workforce is eliminated, women will still wear heels daily for work and suffer for it.

 

[eugenius]

Speakin of which...

It is widely RUMORED that Naomi Campbell, beneath her thousands of dollars worth of high-end designer clothes, secretly wears a special back-brace, as her back is permanently misaligned from years of wearing only high-heels..

I can see the possibility of this, but I still question how valid this tale really is..

And on a side note..

I think its quite ironic that nearly all of the designers of such shoes (Louboutin, Blahnik, not to mention RTW designers like Galliano/Dior) are MEN who dont actually wear high-heels themselves.. *scratches head*

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

baRose - So dress flats with a pant suit is appropriate in a professional dress code?

Being told you can only wear heels is discrimination against women in my opinion. But the height thing makes sense because short people are also discriminated against in the workforce. It all makes me very angry.

 

[Kitty-Yo]

because of heels, i had a serious ankle injury last summer
hopefully i recovered and started to wear heels again but very carefully
try not to consume alcohol on heels...

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

Variation in Damage According to Type of High-Heels?

I searched the forum for 'high-heels' and 'damage' and it came up with around 20 pages of 500 different threads (many of which didn't look like they had anything to do with damage from high-heels). I do not really have the time (or patience) to look through all of that, so I'm sorry if it has been posted before!

I've always heard about high-heels doing damage to your feet and legs and the kinds of damage it causes. However, I have not heard of whether this varies depending on the type of high heels you're wearing. So... does it? Are there differences (however slight) between the following:

- Wearing heels that place your feet at a 90 degree angle and those that only place them at a 20 degree angle?

- Wedges/espadrilles or thick heels that are as wide as your heel and stiletto heels?

- Heels that come away from your feet and those that are attached snugly 100% of the time you're wearing them? e.g. slip-on sandals come away from your feet as you walk, whereas tight boots do not.

- Pointed shoes and rounded shoes?

 

[baRose]

baRose - So dress flats with a pant suit is appropriate in a professional dress code?

Being told you can only wear heels is discrimination against women in my opinion. But the height thing makes sense because short people are also discriminated against in the workforce. It all makes me very angry.

I totally agree (the second paragraph)

Flats with a pant suit is considered professional - yes.

 

[baRose]

Eurasian Mélange - that is a good question. I know for me I can only wear 3"+ heels when its a wedge or thick, platform type heel like the one below.

Net-a-Porter.com

A thin stiletto type heel would have in a lot of pain.

I also need a round toe to better support my ankles and legs. Pointy toe shoes gives me less of a foundation and I feel unstable. I think there is something to what you are saying.

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

I totally agree (the second paragraph)

Flats with a pant suit is considered professional - yes.

Thanks.

Eurasian Mélange - I know that shoes with a narrow toe box (probably most pointed ones) can cause damage to your toes more than those with a wider toe box. I'd say rounded toe shoes should be less damaging in general but it all depends on how they fit.