dr1819

Let's not forget the IMHO = In my humble opinion...

I should know by Wednesday whether or not I'll be able to attend. If not, will be due to scheduling conflicts.

Awesome boots! Perfect for streetheeling.

And if I'm not mistaken, this is either the first or second year Nine West is offering boots in sizes to 12!

Way to go....

Here are three more by Nine West I'd really like to see in larger sizes (13, 14, etc.):

Sorry its been awhile...

I appreciate your skirts, boots, and heels, bootsshoeman.

What I don't appreciate is following your link to Photobucket only to find you have pics of your privates sticking out of your pants.

This is a family-friendly board, and I would appreciate it if you were to either remove your link to your photobucket, or delete the inappropriate photobucket pics.

Thanks.

Don't think you can start out walking on 5" or 6" stillettoes. Unless yer a very remarkable person, you will not be successful.

Not to be negative, but just realistic, when I say "ditto." I'd like to add that going too high too fast invites injury to a joint (your ankle) which isn't designed for high heels, and takes several months of conditioning before it can handle the additional stresses safely, just like all the other joints in your body.

Consider weightlifting - if your limit for 8 reps was 130 lbs, you wouldn't go for 1 rep at 200 lbs, as you'd likely pop something. Instead, you'd go to 12 reps at 130 (sets of three) before upping the weight to 140, then 150, etc.

Do the same with heels.

Furthermore, mix the variety. A wedge feels different and stresses different parts of your muscles, tendons, and ankle joint than a spike or block heel.

If I had to come up with a regimen, I'd recommend for a beginning height anything you can comfortably wear all day long, and I do mean all day. Then, up it by 1/2" increments until you can comfortably wear the next 1/2" increment all day, for several days, without discomfort.

Also, bear in mind there are sources of discomfort which haven't anything to do with the heel height, pinched toes being the big one, followed by plantar (ball of the foot) numbness, etc. If you're experiencing these, or blisters, the shoe is not for you. Well constructed heels do NOT produce these symptoms.

For example: I walked the length of three airports in the last 24 hours in a pair of half-pointed-toe mid-calf boots with a 3-1/2" tapered heel. Beautiful boots, and the only thing that says "woman's shoe" is the heel, which largely goes unnoticed, as it's fairly quiet, even on hard floors.

My point is that these are from Payless, which in my experience is notorious for producing ill-fitting shoes, so I am very surprised to have found these babies there.

Then again, they're by Predictions, which is about the only Payless shoe with which I've had repetitive success:

Hi

My work environment is a small office (just 3 of us here) in a building (a largeish old house) with other offices occupied by various different companies. I'm sitting behind a desk most of the time, so my feet are hidden.

The only issue is the tiled corridor outside the office door, we have another office on the other side of this corridor (a meeting/store room) and I have to go along it to get to the toilet and kitchen. Not wanting to alert everyone to my footwear, I tiptoed across the corridor when necessary

Sounds like the situation is ripe for wearing a cork wedge sandal (quiet) while keeping a pair of low/flat clogs handy for those occasions when clients are around.

I used to work in a similar office setting. While I'd just shuffle between my zip ankle boots with a 4" heel and my professional clogs, the trouble took all of about ten seconds to go back and forth.

By the way, maudgca, I really like the boots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esrz6_JwePQ

Youtube Link to Video 1

The heel looks very poorly made, as if it were intended for a much smaller size and glued to your larger size. This usually results in the heel angling forward, which makes it unsteady, and potentially dangerous.

That may account for the bit of wobbling.

Consider higher-quality shoes with heels (height, rake, and strength) specifically made for larger sizes and the weights they carry.

Nice!

That second pair is definately looking up!

I have a slightly different take. I truly hope heels for men get acceptance but I have recently been wearing flat loafer style shoes with a very low cut vamp (toe cleavage. I've done this for 3 years now with very little hassle apart from about 3 men who come to mind. After a while, they had to give up anyway.

I think before heels get acceptance (for good), I reckon acceptance of low cut vamps for men needs to come first.

Why, when there are many heels with high vamps and even full uppers?

On Friday I purchased a copy of USA Today for $0.75, rather than the usual $0.50, and it contained a whopping 7 pieces of paper (14 pages). THAT's a ripoff!

[i can think of no time when America witnessed more public displays of affection between all sexes and races than on 9/11/01. People were simply doing their best to help one another and express both concern and affection.

I wouldn't call that affection. I would call it comforting and consoling.

This strikes me as altogether strange. I thought you needed a license or permit to do something that was otherwise illegal. So in Pennsylvania it is unlawful for people to be married without first obtaining permission from the state to do so?

I think this pretty much goes for all 50 states, last time I checked. There's such a thing in some states as "common law marriage," where if a couple co-habitates for more than x out of y days/months/years, the state will treat them as if they were married.

I just returned from a two-week vacation in the states (US), and would like to regail you with the details. I can't say where I went, other than the fact that it's a fairly progressive, and larger city (but by no means the size of Seattle, SF, LA, NY, or even Denver). First, because it was primarily with family, I limited my heel wearing to non-family events, which included travelling and shopping. For starters, I took the shuttle to Frankfurt wearing my 3" block-heeled leather ankle boots. They don't have you remove shoes at Frankfurt, so nary a stare until I was reading my book while waiting to board the flight. A young lady of around 11 came over and asked me, "Are those women's shoes?" I replied, "You mean because of the heel?" "Yes," she said. "Not all shoes with a higher heel are women's shoes. Men wear heels sometimes, too. Just not very often." Satisfied with this response, she went back to her mother who'd sent her over to ask the question! I sat in the isle, next to a German vacationer to the states. He seemed very unruffled by my heels, so we talked about the usual inaninities, given the language barrier, off and on during the 10-hour flight. Once in my destination airport (it was a direct flight), and having picked up baggage, I switched to my 4" heeled Gabby Rochelle knee-high leather boots and proceeded to check out my rental car. I noticed two stares from men, once they thought they were outside of my peripheral vision, but the wife of one of him gave him a slight slap on his shoulder and I could hear her whisper, "Don't stare!" I proceeded to my destination and hotel without incident, and waited for the rest of the family to arrive. During that time, I proceeded downtown for a bite to eat. Along the way, I spied a bike shop and decided to enter. I found a much better rack than the one I currently have, and purchased a rack and a rack bag. While the clerk was ringing up the sale, a man walked in wearing 5" boots with a narrower (but not stiletto) heel and a slight (3/8") platform. He was also sporting normal male attire, except for his nails, which had been done at the salon and were painted a shimmering dark red. I thought about engaging him in conversation, but he seemed a bit off-kilter in his mannerisms and words, so I simply concluded the sale and left the store. About three blocks away I came across a Payless Shoe store. Normally, I'm not all that impressed by Payless quality or fit, but given the prices, it never hurts to try. The larger sizes were in the last isle, in full view of the passers-by, but I didn't care. They had a pair of 4" block-heeled boots in my size, brown suede, as well as a pair of cowboy-looking boots with a 3-1/2" tapered heel that's actually positioned inward from the back of the heel, which, anatomically speaking, is the correct position to minimize ankle rotation stress while walking. I purchased both, and asked if I could wear the latter boots out of the store, to which the manager replied, "Of course!" I was surprised at his response, so I asked him the following question: "I'm wondering, sort of taking an informal survey, as to how many men buy women's shoes here?" "Oh, quite a bit," he replied. I asked him if he would care to guess as to the percentage. "You might not believe this, but it's actually between about 40% and 50% of all our sales." "You're kidding!" I exclaimed. "It's really that high?" "Oh, yes," he replied. "Most of the sales during the day are from women shoppers, who'll spend a lot of time in the store, but may or may not buy anything. Most of the men, however, come in during the evening, try on two or three pairs quickly, make a purchase or two, then leave." I then asked if he'd worked other Payless Stores in the area, or elsewhere, and he'd done both, and said the store he'd worked in the suburbs saw males as between 10% and 20% of it's female shoe clientelle, while the one he worked in the Midwest (Denver) saw men as buying about 25% of their female shoes. I let him know of this website, it's purpose, a few brief demographics, and asked him if he'd be willing to spread the word to the other men who purchase women's shoes at his store, and he said he would, as he thought it might help sales for them o know there are others who share their taste for high-heeled shoes. (to be continued...) I proceeded to a coffee shop for a cup of java, a newspaper, and a ham and egg sandwich, before returning to the hotel, but not before walking around the little park downtown. The most amazing thing is that I saw not just one other man wearing heels that day (in the bike shop), but three, including one walking in the opposite direction on the street, and another sitting on a bench in the park. All of us were wearing boots, covered in jeans, but it was also clear, from the clack of the heels itself if nothing else, that we were wearing heels. I did notice others noticing my footwear. But the most amazing thing is their response. In this fairly large city where tatooes and various piercings are common, where women routinely wear buzz cuts, the concept of a man wearing heels was seen by all who noticed (and it was many, as it was during broad daylight), as a total non-issue. My family doesn't approve of my wearing heels. Nevertheless, during one outing, for dinner, I insisted on wearing the aforementioned pseudo-cowboy boots. On the ride home, my mother commented that she'd watched everyone's reactions and the most amazing thing to her was that while she noticed others noticing my heels, she also noticed than none of them had any reactions at all except for the simple fact that they noticed it. No stares, no pointing, no comments - just acceptance, at least publically. What really surprised me, though, is that she (like she usually does) talked with the waiter a bit about local attractions, then in private she went up to him and asked him if he'd noticed her son's footwear. "Yes ma'am" was his response. She then asked him what he thought of my wearing heels, and he replied, "I think they fit rather well with his jeans and shirt" (I was wearing my off-white denim shirt). She was rather surprised, so I said, "What did you expect? Lynch mobs? People around here aren't judgmental. Look how others are dressed," I said, glancing around the room. In the restuarant there were businessmen in suit and ties, a few couples in punk gear with short spike hair, a smattering of piercings, casual wear, and some grunge. It was very eclectic. The next day, while at a very large Nordstroms at the southern end of town, I asked the salesmen if he'd be able to show me a selection of six styles in my size, and he returned with just four shoes in my size, none of which I'd asked for, and none with a heel higher than 1-1/2". "I'm sorry, Sir - this is all we carry in that size. However, we do have everything you asked for available online. If there's anything wrong with your order you can return it via mail, or simply bring it here, and we'll be happy to refund your money." I was really looking forward to being able to try on a number of high-quality high-heeled shoes without having to return them (like I normally do), but they simply couldn't accomodate. I asked him the same question I asked the Payless salesman, however, and he said, "Yes, about 10% of those who buy ladies' shoes are men." I asked if he thought they were buying them for their spouse or themselves, and he said, "judging from the sizes, and the fact they try them on, I'd say they're buying them for themselves." As I was wearing my flat clogs, I asked him, "What do you think about men wearing women's shoes, specifically heels?" He replied, "I'm sure they have various reasons. Some are crossdressers, while others do various shows, but it's my impression that most of them wear heels simply because they enjoy it. I think that's fine. Who knows? If more men were wearing heels, I might, too." Then he added, "but only if more masculine styles appeared, as I'm not into cross-dressing." One final question: "So you don't equate heel-height with cross-dressing?" "Of course not," he replied. "I was working shoe sales in the 70s, and half the men's racks in the store I was working in at the time had heels with 2 to 4 inches. It's just fashion. Done right, I think it's good fashion, too, as it can look very nice." All told, I was very impressed by the repetoire of non to neutral to positive reactions I received. At least in some cities in the US, heel-wearing men is no longer a novelty. While it may still be unusual, it's been seen enough to be considered an acceptable practice, if not commonplace. No, I didn't bring a skirt, but I did see no less than half a dozen men wearing skirts throughout the week, mostly Macabi skirts (or similar) along with Teva-like sandals, as well as one man wearing a kilt with sneakers. Return trip: I went through Denver. The flight out of the originating city was a non-issue. A few people looked twice at the heeled boots in the bucket as they went through the conveyor, but the TSF men and women didn't give it a second thought. On the flight, which was a 737, I had the wing exit seat, which gave me a lot of leg room, put my footwear in full view of the couple immediately in front. I sat next to a real estate agent who was about 7 years older than me. Her kids were grown, she was wearing jeans, a nice shirt, and 3" wedge clogs of a fairly small size. She was originally from the area we'd just left, and she noticed but ignored my footwear as did everyone else from there. We talked about real estate markets and a few other things. Towards the end of the flight, she said her son (who's now a civil engineer) gave her a scare when he was a boy as he began sketching the heels of women's shoes, and didn't let up for about three months. She worried about him, until one day he began sketching towers. I asked how old he was, and she replied "eleven," which would have put him at an age where he'd probably been able to wear his mom's heels. I'd asked if she'd ever suspected that he'd done so, and she was fairly sure he had, to which I replied, "most boys do, but most boys grow out of it." Then she asked, with a smile on her face, and while pointing indiscriminantly towards my 3-1/2" heels, "did you grow out of it?" "Yes," I replied, "I did. However, about twenty-five years later I began wearing heels again." She asked, "If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious as to why a man would wear heels?" I shared with her that many more men enjoy wearing heels in private than she's ever seen on the street, but that most men who wear heels are heterosexuals, happy with their marriages, but simply prefer a different choice of footwear than the mainstream, just as some men and women prefer a different choice of jewelry and piercing locations than others." She said she understand, and shared that she'd seen men wearing heels before, but not often, and she'd never bothered asking any of them why. "Well, now you know!" I said, and she added, "they do look good on you. It looks perfectly normal with what you're wearing." During my layover, I hung out at a sports bar where I sat next to a lady who's fairly high up in a major women's cosmetics chain. She noticed my heels right off, but ignored them, and we talked about a lot of things, mainly kids, what we did, where we lived, etc. After a while, the subject turned to alternative fashion, as she was wearing a shawl with a long skirt, an unusual form of dress for air travel. She simply said she liked to look nice, then asked me about my wearing heels, adding that she'd seen several men wearing heels in recent years, and was wondering if there was any significant behind it. I asked her if I could borrow her thumb ring for a minute. It was fairly innocuous. I slipped it on my finger and asked her if she would give it a second glance if she saw a man wearing the ring. She said no, and I asked her if this was a woman's ring or a man's ring, and she said it could be either. She got the point and said, "So men wearing heels is nothing more than last decade when men were getting earrings, or for that matter, when women began wearing pants?" "Bingo!" I replied with a smile, and she held up her glass and said, "well here's to you all, and I hope it catches on!" Bright lady.

Cool!

...the wife thinks that i should go for it...but...

And you live in Ontario.

I dunno, dude, but I think the question has been answered.

Or find a combination that allows you to wear higher heels unnoticed...

I support JL's position to a limited extent. Of course it's better to disclose all to the SO in the long term, but sometimes (often times) this takes time. Let him get a handle on his choice of fashion and approach things approrpriately.

Oh goodness I'm discussing crocs and uggs.

Well, crocs do lay eggs...

Wow, Scotty - lots of interesting commentary in there. I feel pretty much the same reaction. Here in Germany I've seen a lot more public display of affection between two women than I ever saw in the US, even though I've had neighbors who were lesbians for a total of 4 hours (two different sets of neighbors), knew their friends, were invited to their cookouts, etc. I've had less experience with guys who were gay, but did have a roommate in college for a year who was gay (didn't know he was gay until after I'd signed the lease). Interesting learning curve for myself and the other two straight roommates. Personally, when I've seen women going at it with other women, it's a lot less of a shock than when I've men going at it with other men. I think that's because I'm attracted to women, and not to men. So, when I see myself viewing something I'm not attracted to, I'm averse to that. This is a normal human reaction. A lot of it has to do with conditioning, but a lot also has to do with intrinsically-held values. You can't shag one without influencing the other.

As for me, as long as I'm not shooting-up the town I really don't care what all my nosey neighbors think. Besides, you ought to see what THEY're doing.

Ha! No kidding.

When I first began heeling, I was deathly afraid of what the neighbors thought. Then came the night of their sex-toy party. I declined, as I'm not into that. About two weeks later, during a very late night (about 1:30am) round-the block walk, he pulled over after having covered a late-night shift as I was walking back to the house. We've always been talkative with one another, so I sweated bullets and hoped my long jeans, the tan leather sandles I was wearing underneath my long jeans and the orange streetlights would do the trick.

Uh, no.

Despite the silent heel, as I walked up, he took one look and said, "Well, that's different," but I had just enough time to look to the heavens for an answer before he responded, "relax - I've seen a lot more different" and he proceeded to tel me about the transexual at work who went through transition during the previous three years he'd been workign with him/her.

Then he asked if that was where I was heading (no), and he said, "cool. Definately different, but oh, well. Wanna join me for a beer?" which was what he usually said if saw me when he came home, so I said, "sure, but, uh, just let me change."

I did, and we drank three cold ones, laughing and talking about work as if nothing had changed.

And it hasn't. Just talked with him two weeks ago. Great time of catching up after not being in touch since 2003.

Hey-hey! Way cool! Of course no one notices my 3" block rubber-heeled boots, but hey - they look like men's boots except for the higher heel. My 4" heeled boots are more noticeable. Last night I went for an extended walk to the local castle (about a mile away) wearing long jeans and my 4" cork-wedge-heeled sandals. A bit daring, and I passed exactly no one. Just a few cars on the street, that's it. Boring, except for the fact that my jeans kept riding up and the hems would get caught between my heel and the sandal. I wound up with pre-blisters (not quite, thank you!) on both heels. On the way back I just rolled my pants up and stopped trying to hide the heels, as it was too painful!

I do wish that the US had taken advantage of the opportunity to create much stronger anti-spamming language in legistation is created several years ago. Many were pushing for an anti-spam act that made the sending of any unsolicited advertisement of any kind which cost the user any amount of money (as do e-mails or posts on this board) totally illegal and punisheable with heavy fines and jail time. Sadly, this didn't go through.

Besides - online news is free! The only time I buy a paper is if I'm dining out, alone, and would like something to read. But the paper I buy is only 50 cents.

Most of the gays I knew, both men and women, looked, acted, dressed, talked, and lived the same as everyone else.

There are three models you missed: Class E Motorhome: A sleeping bag in the back of an SUV. I did this in a pinch because it was pouring down rain and I didn't feel like pitching a tent in the pouring rain, so we just folded the rear seats down and unrolled our sleeping bags. I had rain shields for the windows, so we could keep the two front windows cracked about an inch and a half. It was muggy, but we would have been absolutely soaked, and mugier, if we'd pitched that tent. No shower, though, unless you stepped outside. Class F Motorhome: A mattress in the back of a pickup with a full-sized bed and a cap (a friend of mine actually lived like this in college because it was all he could afford). And he did have a fridge, one of the 12V kind. He was usually parked close enough to a 115V power source, so his battery was always good, and he'd sleep on friends' couches any time the temps dipped below freezing. Class G Motorhome, with built-in swimming pool. It's not very big on the amenities, sleeps only three, sitting up, but with a good right plastic liner and 478.75 gallons of water, you can convert that puppy to a right nice wading pool! Class H Motorhome, often used by those who're fairly poor. Sleeps only two comfortably, and is based on unmodified "landcruisers" such as 1966 Buick LeSabres or old Cadillacs.