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Are high-heeled shoes unnecessary?
I remember watching women struggle to walk in high-heeled shoes. I remember women talking about how their feet hurt at the end of the day after wearing high-heels for several hours. Why do women punish themselves this way?
What is the purpose of a shoe? Aren't main purposes of shoes protecting one’s feet and making it easier to walk and stand. Low-heeled shoes seem much better suited for this.
High-heeled shoes seem to be uncomfortable to wear, unsafe to walk in, inappropriate for driving a car, and potentially cause several problems for your feet over the long term – assuming you don’t fall and suffer a severe accident in the short term wearing them.
Let me make it clear that I am not a medical professional and cannot give any medical advice. But numerous articles either written by medical professionals or quoting medical professionals report on the safety hazards of high-heeled shoes, including one by a Dr. Brooke Gifford posted on Advpodiatric.com.1
Can anyone cite any medical benefit to the average person from wearing high heels? Is there any reason for the average lady to wear high heels other than fashion? Is the desire to look fashionable the big appeal?
I urge women to revolt peacefully against the persons/traditions/forces that lead them to purchase and wear high heel shoes. Why not buy and wear comfortable walking shoes?
Lest you think I am solely concerned about the health risks of high-heeled shoes, I want to make it clear that I also consider men’s ties to be unnecessary and potentially unsafe, as I discussed in a previous Newsvine article.2
I have not worn a tie in years – fortunately my jobs have not required a tie. And I don’t think I’ve ever worn a high heel shoe other than trying one on very briefly! I hope the day will come soon when no employer finds ties or high heels necessary for typical workers.
There are various theories on how high heels originated and why they became popular. You can find numerous articles online about the subject if it interest you. For my purposes here, I find it sufficient to state that I know of no logical reason for modern women to wear them for hours daily while walking, working typical jobs (If your job requires them, you have my sympathy!), driving a car, or relaxing.
As a man, I cannot understand a logical reason to for buying or wearing high heel shoes unless an employer requires it (which seems discriminatory and is hopefully relatively rare). If you know of a reason, please tell me about it. Thanks!
References/Endnotes:
1Dr. Brooke Gifford; “High Heeled Shoes: History of the Trend, Risks and Honest Advice”; Advanced Foot & Ankle Medical Center (Advpodiatric.com); October 4, 2010; website accessed January 20, 2012.
2James Edwin Gibson (Newsvine user jameseg); “Neckties: Stylish? Unnecessary? Unsafe? POLL”; Newsvine.com; May 3, 2010; website accessed January 20, 2012.
NOTE: This article is very similar to one the author posted on another website last year.
