dr1819

If it wasn't for my ex I'd have done this years ago.

Chris

I hear you, Chris - some of the aberrations I experienced with my ex lead to a later "just being myself" than would have happened earlier.

Hi, asdf174 - I'm sorry to hear of it. Know that you have friends, here. PM me anytime you like talking in detail.

Clients already see a rather odd long-haired guy who comes to high-level meetings in jeans and a T-shirt; few would be surprised by anything they find out about me, I think, but I'll stay away from that simply to limit the cognitive dissonance they experience during meetings.

- Peter

That's wize, Ozzard.

Then there's the old shooter's gimmick of bracing against a post or tree, or some stable object that will give you a steady shot. Cheap but effective.

That certainly helps, as does a tripod.

But if you're moving around, a good 3-axis stabilization system is indespensible.

Right On! Let 'em have it between the eyes!! If a few more fellas would simply stand up for what's right, we might be able to break this oppressive discrimination against men!

You know, we ought to start visiting one another at work. That might help expand the envelope...

Bearing in mind that I know the story of Oedipus, I find that remark in very poor taste.

I was 22 and she was, what? 38, when she first appeared in the series? Yet I was attracted to her nevertheless. The key was that she was very motherly to most of the crew.

That IS the embodiment of the Oedipus effect. It's not "poor taste." It was simply reality experienced by most young men who watched the series.

I'm NOT saying being sexually attracted to one's own mother is right (there are laws against that, both religious and secular, and rightly so). So please, Chris, don't get me wrong.

Nevertheless, Beverly Crusher will forever remain an older attraction for young men.

Cool! Hope you made it home ok... The underground and bus system is quite nice in London - much better than most major cities.

By the way, Geo-T, a "fetish" involves something of a sexual nature. Unless you're unable to obtain "relief" without wearing heels, it's not a fetish. Rather, it's merely a personal choice of apparel.

Well, to be quite honest, the camera is shaking far too much to be able to discern anything definitive.

Here's one technique for you U-Tubers which proves very effective:

Securely mount your camera to either a mono-pod or a tripod (with the legs closed). This substantially reduces the vertical and tilting shakes. If you want to reduce the panning shakes, consider getting a weighted stabilizing platform (cheap) or a gyroscopically-stabilized platform (expensive, but worth every penny, as it cancels shakes in all attitudes).

I realised on a night out in heels that I do this myself! Not dangling, obviously as I wear boots in public, but I do find myself heel-rocking. I think it's a sensual thing, a way of just enjoying the feeling of the heels. I caught myself doing it though, so it must be subconscious.

Chris

Funny you should mention this - I was in O'Hare, waiting for a flight while reading a Clive Cussler novel, really getting into it. I took a break at one point to rest my eyes and noticed a younger girl starring at my heels. It was only then that I noticed I'd been rocking them.

Like you said, "just a way of enjoying the feeling of the heels."

We never made eye contact, but after I stopped, she quit staring.

Hmmm Seven of Nine! I'm going to get off that train of thought before I post something I'll regret.

That aside, I always liked Dr Crusher. (Wesley's mum) I think it was partly the red hair that did it. Anyway, In one episode of TNG the crew were on the deck of an 19th century ship, and she was wearing a naval uniform with tight white trousers and black leather knee boots with stiletto heels!

Chris

I think it's a combination of the red hair and the Oedipus effect...

I do wish I was just one size smaller, as that would triple the number of styles available, and increase by seven times the number of styles that I would actually enjoy wearing. I find very few styles in my size attractive, and most to be of reduced heel height (like tall girls have some stupid aversion to heels, which they do not), tended towards an older crowd (also stupid, as most women with the larger feet are betwen 18 and 30), or just plain stylishly stupid. If manufacturers would to simply produce a random sample of their collections (say, 1/3 of their styles, selected at random), and produce them in the larger sizes, they'd corner the market.

TopGear - she certainly gets my vote, and for once in a great blue moon, I wish the site wasn't so PG-13, as I'd have a lot of fun with the term, "TopGear."

For me, I would not wear heels on a cross counrty flight. The length of time sitting can increase the chance of getting a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis).

??? DVT occurs in the legs, not the feet. It's combatted by getting up and walking around at least once every three hours during flight, and medically, by taking one baby aspirin the night before the flight and another the morning of the flight.

If anything, heels are an excuse to reduce one's sitting time, as walking in heels is fun!

This is just me, but I see wearing heels on a flight as more bother than pleasure. I'd rather put them in my luggage and wear them after arriving to wherever it is I'm going.

I respectfully disagree, JeffB, for several reasons.

First, one does a fair amount of walking in public while flying.

Second, that walking is done on fairly smooth flooring or carpeting.

Third, it's done in public.

Fourth, it's a public which has no interest in you. In fact, although I've got more frequent flyer miles than probably anyone here on this board, I've only run into two people which I've ever known while flying. Thus, it's about as anonymous as you can get, which is a great way those who wish to wear heels in public to do so anonymously.

Fifth, given the current state of things, it's also the least likely place one might run into trouble from other people, as airports are well-lit, conservative places full of bright, well-educated passengers and the various areas are heavily patrolled.

Sixth, it's a way to stand up for the cause: "I'm a guy who wears heels. So what?"

Seventh, most airports sport a few shopping areas and restuarants which can be fun before, between, and after flights. Those are a great opportunity to enjoy wearing heels in public with a near-0% chance of harrassment.

In summary, during the last 18 months during which I've travelled more than 110,000 air miles through 14 airports, I've discovered that conservative, tasteful heeling while travelling via the airlines is safe, effective, and fun.

Please let me know when someone finds something in a size that's not too small for 85% of the members of this board...

I find it interesting that the title of this thread is "The ancient attraction of Red Pumps." The color red has always been symbolic with prolific women, having to do with the physiological response (blood flush) when a woman is eroused. This is most noticeable in the lips, which is why women tend to wear red lipstick, as it's merely an accentuation of the natural response (most women do so subconsciously), but studies have shown that women in bars wearing red lipstick are more than twice as likely to be picked up than those who aren't. The color red has (also, subconsciouly) come to symbolize, via any avenue of expression, be it a dress, scarf, or heels, that the woman wearing it is putting out some sort of signal, and quite often, that's true. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discover that women are into colors way more than men, whether it's via clothes or the color of one's wall paint. This phenomena has been studied to death and the answer that keeps surfacing is that it's simply the way gender-related chemicals formed our brains from birth. I prefer clothing that ranges from off-white to black, with few colors except blue, red, and a dark forest green. What does that make me? I haven't a clue, so I'll stop here!

Magickman: As I see it there are two kinds of lines, those we draw for ourselves and those others draw for us. Judging by some of your posts, and accepting that I've never seen you, it does sound like you go for quite a feminine / androgynous look. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, some women are turned off by it.

This is a case of your choice, shoes in this case, being within your comfort zone but outside hers. It's a purely subjective thing though, and we're all different, so it's kind of hard to say "the line is drawn here".

Chris

Bingo. My personal line is much closer to the androgynous look, but rarely do people wonder, "is that a girl?" as I tend to revert to the societal line, which certainly allows me to wear heels, provided they're conservative, tasteful, and more masculine than feminine.

Where others choose to draw their own lines is entirely dependant upon where their personal line is, where they perceive the societal line to be, and how far they're willing to go between the societal line and their personal line.

I mentioned New Orleans... for 2 reasons

1) home

2) it's where I got my start (alt, see #1)

Hmmm... Probably not you, though, as he looked to be around 45 years old back in '76, which would make him 76, today.

Running for what? Public office? That would be a hoot...

7 of 9, the green Borg? Well yeah, after they got rid of most of that Borg junk they did give her a fairly decent role and some chunky heels. Oddly enough, Jerri Ryan was probably the most under utilized talent ever on the Star Trek shows.

She's actually a terrific actress, but it's difficult for one's acting to be noticed when you're playing the human equivalent of a robot. However, there were enough subtleties in her part throughout the series that her acting came shining through, although she's not had the depth and level of parts since then that I'd have expected from her performance on Voyager.

Well, not precisely. But there's nothing like a well-rounded approach.

True...

And given just 123 voters, it's only statistically significant to the tenth's digit, anyway, hence my rounding it to 3.5.

I've flown several times in heels, including between Germany and the US, as well as around the states, mainly on business trips. The TSA could interpret a male wearing stilettos as a deadly weapon. I generally don't recommend anyone wearing stilettos on board an airplane, as there's a puncture risk to the escape slides, which double as life rafts on overwater flights (not too bright...). Besides, the floors of the aircraft interior are significantly weaker than the floor of your house, and if stilettos can damage your flooring, just think of what they can do aboard an airplane. Given these factors, I'm surprised the FAA hasn't banned stilettos outright. I've worn several different pair, from my medium 2-1/2" heeled clogs to my 4" Franco Sarto Nolans to my 4-1/2" taper-heeled boots, all beneath a long pair of jeans. If I'm not wearing heels, I usually carry a pair in my bag, for before departure and after arrival. TSA notice? Zero, including the heels in my bag as it's being scanned, and I do watch the face of the person who does the scan. That's not to say it couldn't happen, but it isn't likely. Other people notice? Only the one or two immediately behind me and ahead of me at the security checkpoint. The bottom line is that if it's tasteful and conservative, you'll probably never encounter a problem, particularly if you avoid heel shapes which could be construed by the TSA as a weapon. If you go with hot pink fetish stilettos, however, expect to get noticed!

Good for you, Geo-T!

He's probably heard different numbers from different stores. Payless is super-ubiquitous and of course the numbers in free-thinking downtown New Orleans will be diff. from those in a more rural area.

It's funny you should mention New Orleans - the first time I ever saw a man in heels, real heels, not the 1970's men's heels, was in 1976, in New Orleans. He was walking down Chartres (in the French Quarter), around 10 am, smoking a pipe.

Yes I long for the time were men can wear heels without any issues from others.

For most people, and in most places, that day is here. The rest of the world is catching up quickly.