High Heels And The Body

Details about the ways that high heels hurt your feet and legs:


Here is an article trying to argue that wearing high heels boosts your sex life because it strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. For some reason, however, they don't suggest that men should start wearing them!

Posted by Lisa Friday, January 4, 2008 at 12:23 AM Labels: , , , ,  

28 comments:

  Nancy Jane Moore

January 6, 2008 at 6:08 AM

Thanks for posting this chart detailing all the physical damage heels can cause. I never wore heels all that much, and I gave them up completely many years ago, but I still have many of those problems. Besides, as I just commented on my blog Taking Care of Ourselves, women wearing heels cannot protect themselves easily in self defense situations.

  Anonymous

January 6, 2008 at 7:42 AM

Unfortunately, just becaquse something is bad for a woman doesn't mean the woman will stop doing it. Society places a lot of pressure on women to look a certain way, and to like that look. High heels are one easy way of fitting that look... I'm guilty of it! However, as a tall woman I have the luxury of looking good even in a kitten heel.

  Slywy

January 6, 2008 at 8:14 AM

It's interesting timing, because my friend and I were walking behind three young women in killer heels last night, and I noticed how, unconsciously, they struggled to stay upright in them. Their ankles would keep flexing, and it looked more painful than attractive.

  Nancy Jane Moore

January 6, 2008 at 8:27 AM

Societal issues of beauty can change. The more we bring up the issue, the more we influence new ways of thinking.

  Unknown

January 6, 2008 at 8:35 AM

the easy answer: it is the fault of society. In fact, evolution and sex drive desire to appeal to men. But: if health risk great, YOU make the choice

  Anonymous

January 6, 2008 at 8:50 AM

This is precisely why I don't wear the things. I've never seen the point of being uncomfortable and hardly able to walk for "fashion".

  Ed Knittel

January 6, 2008 at 9:24 AM

I really like the way this is illustrated. It makes it easier to understand why the heels are so bad for your body.

Original from the May 7, 2007 story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/05/07/GR2007050700484.html

  Clayton Childress

January 6, 2008 at 12:08 PM

linked to boing boing.

Congrats!!!

  Anonymous

January 6, 2008 at 7:12 PM

Throughout nature, it's the males who have to work to impress the females. Why are humans so naive? Women need to realize that it isn't their responsibility to attract men. Men are the ones who most immediately want sex and want offspring to carry on their names.

We've got it all backwards!

  Leona Laurie

January 7, 2008 at 1:21 AM

It would be great if the illustrations of good posture and flat shoes were less dowdy. And if the illustration of the woman in heels was of a more day-to-day outfit. The text sells the idea of heels being dangerous, but the illustrations saysomething else.

  Anonymous

January 7, 2008 at 2:18 AM

> The text sells the idea of heels being dangerous, but the illustrations saysomething else.

Actually, the illustration shows a girl in a cute little dress who looks like a dork. Unlike women who've practiced the art of self-torture, she doesn't know how to look "natural" in her unnatural shoes.

Sadly, if I show this to my daughter she'll simply respond with "Well, if she stood 'properly' in the things, she wouldn't have that posture issue" and then discount the whole poster as a result.

It would be better if the illustration showed two models in heels, one standing naturally (as the current model does) and one standing "properly." The first could be labelled "remember when you first wore heels?" and the second "Your body may be straight after practice, but your spine still looks like this."

  Anonymous

January 7, 2008 at 7:51 AM

This is an interesting piece that a fellow dancer sent me. However, I'd be interested in finding out if/how dance shoes alleviate some of these problems and why regular shoes aren't designed more like dance shoes. One difference that I know of is the heel placement keeps the weight from being pitched as forward.

  leo9

January 7, 2008 at 8:59 AM

Maybe so Liz,
but I guarentee you that the less time you put into looking good(attracting males), the less often men will work to attract you...

That being said, women look GREAT in high heels, however, they don't look as if they are feeling particularly comfortable. Not many women can pull off the sexy walk in high heels (hips swaying properly), so the majority of them end up walking bow-legged and what not.
Fashion and comfort are best when equally balanced...

  elbriha

January 7, 2008 at 9:18 AM

Funny, as health conscious as I am, I never thought about the impact of wearing high heels. Thanks for the information!

  Mad Wombat

January 7, 2008 at 1:05 PM

I don't know about other people in this thread, but I don't see that many women wearing high heels on the street. Yes, high heels used to be a part of both business and casual style of women some years back. But not now. Except maybe for a formal evening dress, high heels are not a required part of women's costume and maybe not even then. Fighting inequalities may be a good cause, but raising false alarms is actually detrimental to it.

By the way, did anyone notice, that pictures show two very differently dressed women. It definitely strikes me as a sample of misguided gender equality propaganda that gives the rest of the movement a bad name. Anyone with even a little bit of common sense, who takes a single look at high heel shoes will realize that these must not be good for feet and posture, but this picture actually had an opposite effect, I started thinking in line of "I wonder, just how much of what it says is exaggerated..."

  Some Feisty Chick

January 7, 2008 at 6:04 PM

I know a lot of women wearing high heels with jeans. It may not be the only footwear to wear on an evening out, but they still are pretty predominant.

I hope you don't mind, but I posted the image to my site and linked back to yours, so they can see the image in better detail.

I saw it first on boing boing.

  Anonymous

January 10, 2008 at 3:16 PM

Heels cripple me thus, from the age of 18, I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of the sexy flat. My all time faves have been some black, oval-toed slip-ons with long silk tassels; a pair of deep russet suede jobs, edged with satin ribbon and thick ruffled lace and graced with tiny nipped-in heels; a pair of vintage St Laurent gold kid Roman sandals, which lace up with gold silk rope; a pair of black suede shoes covered all over with tiny metallic red polkadots, (I called them my Ruby Slippers); and my perfectly flat, palest rose pink suede sandals - a simple loop over the big toe, two slim straps, over the instep and the base of the toes respectively, joined together with little strings of faux pearls. You can keep your vertiginous Jimmy Choos as far as I'm concerned. There's more than one way to look - and feel – sexy.

  Gwen

January 10, 2008 at 10:58 PM

I teach at a college in Las Vegas, and jeans with heels--often stilettos--are the official uniform of many of my students. This is not a dying trend, and they are not just worn on dates or special occasions--they are worn on weekdays, to classes, on a daily basis.

When I lived in Wisconsin I was always confused by women who would wear mini skirt and heels even in the middle of winter when the ground was covered in snow and ice. They must have been freezing, and the ice must have made it even harder to walk in stilettos.

  Karen Jarboe

January 11, 2008 at 6:24 AM

I never wear any shoe that prevents me from running away in an attack. Almost every shoes a man wears allows him to run away in an attack. Perhaps if women start thinking about their own safety, then maybe women will be less inclined to endure the pains of wearing high heals.

  S.

January 11, 2008 at 7:08 AM

I love heels. Say what you will about them being a misogynist invention...I will not give them up. Over the years I've finally learned what fits most comfortably. A platform sole puts your foot at less of an angle.
And if they are in the least bit uncomfortable when you are trying them on then don't get them!!! That discomfort will be amplified once you begin to wear them.

Flats can be very uncomfortable too! They need to be made of a soft yielding material that doesn't rub the top of your feet and have a substantial sole for support. Without a substantial sole it's like pounding your bare foot on pavement.

  Some Feisty Chick

January 11, 2008 at 2:55 PM

I had a friend tell me about a time she was in Minnesota in the middle of winter watching a tiny young lady in jeans and stilettos crossing a parking lot. She climbed over a snow bank, hit a slick spot on the other side and slid right under an SUV. She was OK, so the story was comical rather than tragic.

But is just goes to say that I can't really understand stilettos in the snow either.

  Christy

January 12, 2008 at 9:26 AM

Confessions of a stiletto addict: I wear high heels/stilettos all the time -- I can walk and run (yes, run) around effortless in heels. I think my feet have become so accustomed to them that I actually feel uncomfortable/unnatural walking around in flats! In fact, even when I'm barefooted, I feel that I can run around much more efficiently by somehow tip-toeing/ relying on the balls of my feet (more springy action there). I'm not sure if my legs/feet are internally deformed due to my wearing heels all the time. But I do choose my heels well, and as far as I know, there are no signs of external deformities (like the ones shown in the illustration).

However, I do notice that my knees are rather weak. I'm not sure if this is because I'm exercising the wrong way (eg. many people seem to injure their knees when they don't use the proper way to jog) or because of my stiletto-wearing habit. If I were to stand up/squat many times, I'd feel the pain most in my knee joints.

Can anyone relate?

  Anonymous

January 15, 2008 at 7:05 AM

Each their own, I suppose- I love my heels. The higher the better, I currently have a pair of 7-inch stilettos with a platform toe that I adore.

Then again, I never grew out of that walking on the toes thing we all start out with as babies, so heels are more comfortable than flats for me. I'm always either barefoot or wearing at least two-inch heels.

I've never noticed any pain or weakness in my legs that could possibly be related to my shoes, but I do notice that (compared to most women my age who never learned to walk properly in heels) I have better posture.

  Anonymous

January 18, 2008 at 4:07 PM

I'm also a heel lover, though when the situation requires it, I wear lower heel or flats. I also feel uncomfortable wearing many flats. I don't wear heels when it is icy and snowy, as that is very dangerous, or when I'm going to be going anywhere off of pavement. That's just asking for a broken or sprained ankel. I know heels are bad for me (I have weak knees to begin with) so I don't wear them when I have to walk alot. It's like eating certain foods, drinking caffeinated beverages, etc. Most people know the risks and make their decision from there. Women who can't walk comfortably in heels probably shouldn't wear them, as it shows in how they walk and stand, and makes them appear awkward instead of tall and graceful, which is usually why they wore the heels in the first place.
As far as women wearing heels just to attract men, I wear them because I love shoes, the way they look, the way I walk in them (I'm not scared of swaying my hips) and my husband actually dislikes me wearing heels much of the time. So that has never been a factor, at least for me.

  ClintJCL

February 5, 2008 at 5:29 PM

High heels boost sex life:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23157982-5013016,00.html

I didn't write the article.
Sue someone else :)

  Anonymous

February 22, 2008 at 12:03 PM

I find that if you have strong legs, back muscles, and core muscles then it doesnt matter what shoes you wear.

Build a strong body and you will have good posture no matter what and will be able to controll ankle rolling and back arching.

have a weak body and no matter what you will have poor posture and back/knee problems

Heels or flats I walk the same way and the only complaint about heels is that if they are too small they can hurt the foot. Audrey Hepburn knew this and bought shoes a 1/2 size too big when wearing heels

  Anonymous

March 8, 2008 at 2:14 PM

As a dancer, we are always on relevé, that is on tip-toe, while dancing. I have never had any problems w/ high-heels other than when the back of the shoe didn't fit right. I have also learned to be able to jog in them.

I suggest to people who feel uncomfortable wearing heels to start out w/ a small-wedge heel and to be physically fit.

The reason I say this is because it seems that people who are more physically fit seem to be able to benefit from the wear of high-heels. And, women who aren't as fit seem to only get worse with them.

**My mom, who wears only tennis shoes, has all the problems described in the above picture.

  Sidabrinis Šaukštas

April 8, 2008 at 7:55 PM

I knew all these problems about high heels affecting womens health. but i just love heels, though I do not wear them often. but the sexy look and feel they give is too great to give up on them. life is too short I will enjoy everything I can including wearing heels.

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