That is, if you like your feet. We’ve been conditioned over the years to accept high heels as something that women need to wear if they want to appear professional at the workplace, sexy out on the town or ‘grown-up’. I’m really enjoying the trend lately of women who are saying “Enough is enough!” and rebelling against the ‘accepted fashion norm’ of wearing only high heels.
Over the last few fashion seasons, with the height of the heels being so ridiculous, it’s a wonder there aren’t more broken ankles running around. Women can barely walk in the heels, let alone balance when standing and if you add in a bit of alcohol, the potential for injury increases exponentially. I recently attended a Christmas party for my husband’s office and there was a young lady in the restroom, clearly inebriated, who shared with me that her friends had dressed her for the party and that she felt ridiculous. While I assured her she didn’t look ridiculous, I gave her a small tip on how to walk in heels (heel toe, heel toe and let your hips move as you settle your weight from one side to the other) and she exclaimed that no one had even mentioned that to her as they were dressing her up in clothing that was clearly a stretch from her normal attire. At the time I thought how sad it was that she felt pressured to wear things that didn’t suit who she was and that the peer pressure to dress like her friends must have been intense. Now, as I’ve been hearing things about high heels and the pain they regularly cause, I realized that no one has to give instructions on how to effectively walk in flat shoes. We just walk.
While there are some aesthetic advantages (or perceived advantages) around high heels – they make your calves look great and curvy, they give you a little height if you want it, they lengthen and slim the leg – I say that it’s beyond time that we start changing the aesthetic. Really, the only reason we think heels are aesthetically pleasing is because we’ve been coached to do so, in the same way we’ve been coached to think a certain way about body norms. Check out our Facebook page for a couple of articles on comfy shoe brands with a bit of style as well as an article shared today by one of our fans on how actresses are speaking out on the pain regularly caused by heels at events. If you’re like me and love comfort, join the movement. Buy comfort, ask for comfort and dare to wear flats.