Walk a mile in her shoes… and suffer twisted ankles, sore knees, and out-of-whack backs

A SYTYCB entry

I’ve recently had a few conversations with friends about a topic of discussion that has come up again and again in feminist circles – modifying one’s appearance in order to fit prescribed gender roles/expectations and/or to appear sexy or attractive to others. In this particular case my friends and I were talking about shoes. I’ll share a story to illustrate…

I recently bought my first pair of wedge heels, and decided to wear them last week, to show off my newly painted toenails. Little did I suspect that “these really comfortable-looking wedges” would turn out to be anything but. You would think after multiple painful experiences, I would stop having so much faith in shoes, but alas – it has not yet happened. I ended up with squished and painful little toes; blisters; and a stiff and painful left knee, three days after wearing the shoes.

Now, I believe that women wear heels for a variety of reasons – to make themselves feel good, to keep up with fashion, to appear attractive or sexy, and for other reasons – but the reasons behind their choices doesn’t change the fact that these women are literally damaging their bodies to achieve these goals. According to a study released earlier this year, regular wearing of high heels changes the way that wearers walk; the calf muscles of those who wore high heels had shortened and were under more strain than those who did not regularly wear high heels. Long-term high heel use may also increase the risk of injuries, including muscle strain.

Conclusion: wearing high heels can cause pretty bad health problems, yet women continue to buy and wear them. Many of the discussions that I’ve witnessed on this topic revolve around a few key issues, namely the idea of choice and the ‘feminist status’ of women who choose to wear high heels. Yes, women have a choice to wear high heels or not, but that choice, like others, is not made in a vacuum. We still live in a society that values certain characteristics about women (their looks) over others (their intelligence, etc), and one in which women are still not completely accepted if they choose to pursue other life courses beyond finding men to marry and having children. Women are told, through a variety of means, that they need to look a certain way and that one of the reasons they should do this is to attract potential mates.

Addressing the feminist status issue, a commenter on a Jezebel post on high heels and feminism hits the nail on the head – of course one can be a feminist while simultaneously wearing high heels. However, we can’t ignore the expectations about women’s looks that continue to play a role in the choices that are made as well as the health effects of said choices.