Ben(Canada)

Fashion is a funny thing. What is considered to be acceptable or nice. And when is it acceptable? For what occassion? And in what combination? Take tights. And here we'll talk about women wearing tights, as men wearing tights is sort of a different topic. See my definition below. A popular fashion of today is women wearing tight stretchy pants for street and office wear. Realistically the top portion of stretchy pants are just like tights. They are close fitting to the body. But the leg part of stretch pants is cut with room. Another popular fashion of today is women wearing pantyhose with short skirts for street and office wear. They are close fitting to the legs. There seems to be some resistance for women to wear tights for street and office wear. It is done, but not by many women. Women feel comfortable wearing close fitting garments for the upper leg, and for the lower leg, but not together? Why is this? If wearing tights is sexy, then surely tight pants or pantyhose with short skirts is equally sexy? Wearing calf length boots in winter with tight pants, how is that different than wearing tights with boots? What's the scoop? Any thoughts? And what's your own feeling? And which do you prefer and why? (1) Pantyhose...A one-piece undergarment covering the legs from the waist down to the toes and meant to be worn typically under a dress. (2) Tights...A snug stretchable garment covering the legs from the waist down to the ankles or sometimes the toes and meant for wearing as an outerlayer.

Michael, was Katherine wearing pantyhose or tights, according to my definitions below. With a dress? I suppose when pantyhose gets heavier in weight it often is referred to as tights. But perhaps that is confusing. As I was with your explanation. I'd be interested in hearing more of your thoughts on this fashion statement. (1) Pantyhose...A one-piece undergarment covering the legs from the waist down to the toes and meant to be worn typically under a dress. (2) Tights...A snug stretchable garment covering the legs from the waist down to the ankles or sometimes the toes and meant for wearing as an outerlayer.

Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran states "The genitals are right next to the foot in the body brain maps, he notes, and speculates that this fact may account for foot fetishes".

http://skepdic.com/reflex.html

Country Cuti, I found the story about your friend showing off her garters and stocking tops quite interesting. I wonder if women showing off their garters and stocking tops is gaining in popularity? Does anyone know? Laurie though has a dilema regarding work. What about a convertible skirt just like those pants with zips that turn into shorts. Daring women could unzip those longer skirts as they walked away from work, and maybe even once again as they neared home. There could be a zip up the sides as well. Maybe it's been done. Any information would be welcome. I thought about women showing off their stocking tops for about a week to see if the idea would grow on me. I'm trying to be more open minded. Guess I'm back to thinking about how nice women look in pantyhose. It's the sleekness that I like and the fact that really short skirts can be worn even to work with them. So do I like to peek I asked myself? Honestly I found my mind drifting to women wearing not pantyhose, but tights. I remember reading a fashion article some years ago predicting that eventually skirts would get so short and then entirely disappear in which case women would only wear tights with short tops. So where is that idea going, anyone know? Is it fading? I was goofing off working today and walking with a friend and dozens of women ran by in running tights. I call that looking good innocently. A lot of people think that tights are sexy but also very practical, the combination which makes them just barely conservative enough to wear in many places. Can tights be worn with high heels. High heel boots especially go with tights to form an amazing combination. Any thoughts from anyone on any of this would be interesting...Ben

Hi, first I think that the following words mean:

(1) Stockings...A close-fitting, usually knitted covering for the foot and leg where separate coverings are worn for each leg.

(2) Pantyhose...A one-piece undergarment consisting of underpants and stretchable stockings.

(3) Tights...A snug stretchable garment covering the legs from the waist down and meant for wearing as an outerlayer.

I found a good article on stockings, pantyhose and tights which I don't agree with but has good information. http://www.stockingirl.com/stockings.html

Laurie, I think stockings are suitable for longer skirts that are about knee length. But when the wind blows up your skirt, well that just isn't something I like to see. Also I believe that women in the past wore stockings for the looks only. The only purpose was looks. In the temperate climate where I live, I don't see many women wearing stockings or pantyhose in the warmer months. Therefore they are wearing something on their legs to keep warm. And here pantyhose is much warmer than stockings of course.

Many women are now wearing very short skirts. These skirts are just too short in my opinion to be wearing stockings to begin with in public. In summer most women don't wear leg coverings at all and in winter pantyhose is warmer.

Regarding tights. Laurie you say that "you need your hips to be free". But does that mean you don't like wearing shorts, pants, or tights as defined above? I thought most people want to keep their upper body warm and are OK with their legs being colder. So doesn't wearing more around the hips make sense?

Sure I personally wear tights a lot when I bicycle, ski or run. Much more comfortable than pants for this. My only problem is that men don't have a waist to keep the tights from sliding down. As far as the seam running from the belly button, that is a matter of design. I designed and sewed my own tights because of this which don't have any seams in the front at all but rather use four seams in all. That type of design would not work for pantyhose I think. I would have thought that makers of pantyhose and tights would have devised a way of knitting these in one piece by now....Ben

Hi, I remember back to my high school days when I was in Grade 8 and it was 1967. Hemlines of skirts had just got really short, but pantyhose or tights for more grown up women it seems had just barely hit the market. I remember one girl wore a garter belt and really short skirt, so you know I saw her garter belt. I thought, this doesn't look right. Poor girl, she probablly doesn't know that tights are available. Sorry for expressing my own personal tast so heavily. Since then I haven't been able to figure out why both men and women are fascinated with garter belts. Such a clutter. I think tights with skirts look sleek on women, good for formal things. Non see through tights worn without skirts look very nice on women, good for all kinds of occasions, very flattering for many women, decent enough in my opinion, and technically make more sense than pants too. That's my vote...Ben

Susan wrote: I believe you have missed my point. While the information in the early text of this topic isn't all inaccurate it is a long way from complete and correct. From the comments "you" made, if you were to see me wearing my heels you would immediately assume my feet have been destroyed and my toes are disfigured. That is in reality a very false assumption which can't be made in all cases with all women. Ben reply I did read your earlier posts carefully. I do agree with you that pointed toe shoes don't always result in the person's foot being changed. What I said earlier was that "I think it is hard to avoid some foot reforming with any pointed toe shoe. It is always a temptation for people to buy shoes that are short with this kind of shoe." I think I am correct in saying that if a person wears pointed toe shoes that are so short that the toes need to bend inwards, that over time the toes will become permanently bent inwards. So I would not want to encourage anyone to wear pointed toe shoes given the very great temptation of buying shoes that bend the toes inward. Yes I think a lot of women's toes are bent inwards from wearing pointed toe shoes. But even here, each to their own. Natives in Africa used to manipulate their bodies in all kinds of ways. Who is to say this is wrong. But as some have pointed out in this thread, many people wear sandles and go barefoot. In this case I think a foot that has nice straight toes looks best to most people. I watched a movie recently where the guy was looking for a female mate. Interestingly there were all kinds of high heel wearing women in the movie. This guy would try and sneak a peek at each date's feet and if the toes were bent inwards, that was an automatic rejection. So I don't think I am the only person that values straight toes on a woman. And yes I think that wearing pointed toe shoes is sort of like playing with fire.

Hi all What do ties represent? They are a graphical symbol of a male penis and genitals. It seems funny that men's suit pants are baggy to hide the male anatomy, and then they stick it up there on the shirt. Another thing. When I was traveling in Australia some years ago, I stayed with a family in Melbourne. One son had a building inspectors job and had to wear a tie. He said it was very difficult to do the inspection work as he had to bend down to see the work. The tie blocks off the supply of blood to the brain in this case. We did some research and came to the conclusion that the tie was invented as an excuse for the upper class to get out of menial tasks. The suit jacket is also extreemly restrictive, and the combination of such a jacket and tie restricts a man to pretty much sitting and standing very upright. I was invited to a gala Chinese Year party some months ago. The waiter wore a jacket and tie. His tie was frazzled from rubbing against the furniture and his suit jacket sleeve was frayed. He strained to reach over the table against the tension of his jacket. I worked in Product Development in a large company where most of the men in my department wanted to wear ties. We also had a prototpye lab where we would all work in from time to time to make our own prototpye parts. The boss warned the men to take off their ties so they would not be strangled while working on the lathe. They didn't. When I was at home my dad told us to take our jackets off while eating at the table. Now I see that many restaurants make men wear a suit jacket and tie at the table. I guess so they can dip their ties in the soup and dip their jacket sleeves in the butter. I guess many men are like little sheep Baah Baah, I must wear a suit and tie because that is what is expected. Like some of you said, if this is what you like wearing and it is suitable for that situation, then good for you. But let's get men into some other kinds of clothes for a change, especially clothes that make more sense. I think many men wear suits and ties because a lot of women like a man to be dressed up. So what other kind of dress up clothes would you women like to see on a man? Leather jackets? Muscle shirts? Tight teashirts? Leather pants? Taller boots? Vests? Tighter pants? Hats? Turtleneck sweaters? Heavy shirts? Thick sweaters? Sweaters with bold patterns? Communist uniform lookalikes? Navy uniforms with tighter pants and lightweight shirt jackets and no ties? Ben

Dear Susan Have you ever been at a dinner party. Someone gets you going on a topic. Before you know it, you are spouting all kinds of criticism towards something. You think that it is the strangers you don't know at the table that think differently, so that is sort of OK. After awhile you decide it might be a good idea to check what your friend you came with is thinking. That is when you find you have criticized something that your friend values quite a lot. It doesn't change how you think, but it makes you red faced thinking you said it so strongly right in front of this person. Next time you resolve you will state your opinions in groups that agree with you more. When talking privately with people it is possible to sound out their stand on issues before jumping on a soapbox, but is not so possible on the Internet forums. In a way open talking on Internet forums toughens us up. Maybe this is good because we learn to accept things we don't agree with. We open ourselves up to issues we would have otherwise brushed off. Susan, I know who you are for sure. I have seen your name in many articles and have read your stories with great interest. I feel like you were that friend sitting next to me at the dinner table. You said "Ben, it's unfortunate you and others here have the poor perception of women like me." Now you have made me red in the face. I didn't know I was talking directly at you. Ouch. But it doesn't change how I think on the issue of pointed toe shoes. If it makes you feel better, I have lot's of friends that do things that I don't agree with. I don't write off people that do things I don't agree with. It's a big world and we have lot's of different ideas. That said, I will clarify why I said what I said about pointed toe shoes. I feel that many women and even men are wearing pointed toe shoes because they look stylish to other people. Of course some people are wearing them because they look nice to themselves. But in case someone thinks they are wearing them for me they are mistaken. So yes, I would like to encourage people to wear rounded toe shoes because I personally like to see people's toes that are straight. I think it is hard to avoid some foot reforming with any pointed toe shoe. It is always a temptation for people to buy shoes that are short with this kind of shoe. So I said something. For me I am glad the subject was raised in this forum, because it made me look hard at the issues. Because of this I have become attracted to people wearing rounded toe shoes. I think some of these look very attractive in low and high heels alike. It has formalized my likes. I don't think of all styles somewhat changing the body shape slightly in the same way. I especially like it if women poke holes in their ears and wear earnings for example. But I don't see that it changes the basic body shape or function substantially. But these are my likes and dislikes. Ben Wiens

ShockQueen wrote: I think it's easier for a lady to ask a guy about his heels than it is for a guy to ask a lady about her heels. What stance do you take on this folks? Ben Wiens reply My experience is that women rarely get in trouble for asking men anything. They may get a blank however. When men ask women things, women seem to have all kinds of rules as to what is acceptable and what is not. There are exceptions though and I do hate to put everyone in a box.

Hi all Thanks for all your comments. I have thought a lot more about the general issue of a male talking to a female about something she is wearing or how she looks. Obviously based on the comments I have got, there is a big difference of opinion on the issue. And that is the problem, because I have no way of knowing whether a female would like a comment or not like a comment. It is not a right or wrong issue but rather personal taste, beliefs, or even feelings at that point in time. I have also done lots of experiments since I posted the first question. These experiments were done using the advise I received. Here are some notes: (1) If I don't want to make a mistake in what I say or ask then it is better to not talk at all. (2) I like to talk a lot and like to know what makes people tick and so I will have to live with making a few mistakes in my conversations. (3) It is better to bring up looks in a light way, like that is nice, but pretend that I am not obsessing about it. (4) Pretending is a big part of being a success in society. (5) I don't like pretending that much. (6) Many people think that the pretending that people do is the real thing. Here are some experiences I have had with recent experiments: (7) I talk to a female in the video rental place every week as I load up on 99 cent videos for the week. She is married I know but likes to chat with me. I have mentioned several things I like she is wearing in the most casual way I can think of. It's not like I want a relationship with her. She seems to be very OK with this very much. Once I mentioned that I liked her wearing three earrings in each ear. She was very comfortable with that and talked at length about the issue. Then we switched topic completely. But after that she is never wearing earrings at all and covers her face tightly with her hair. So I am wondering. Still she is very friendly to me. Experimental results incomplete. ( I met a female at the mall and we started talking about many things and had a coffee. After a long time I mentioned I liked her skirt and she was quite OK but quite hesitant to talk any further about that. (9) I was peeking through my hands at a gal on the bus a while back. She was very beautiful. I thought I was pretty discrete. She came up to me when the bus stopped and said she really liked my sweater and felt the sweater for quite a while with her hands. I was stumped in this case for a good answer but I did start talking to her. I know she would have been OK with me mentioning her clothes but I was scared of her boyfriend who was right there. (10) Obviously the talking about looks comes from both female and male sides. Here are some questions for you all: (11) Some males and females like it when others talk about their looks or things they wear. I think this is what you were saying Vicki. Not like it is the only or first thing that is talked about. But some don't like it. They want to wear nice things without people bothering or advancing on them. I think that was what you were saying Susan. Of course some of the advancing is sexual for sure. But we live in a sexual world. I saw an ad recently with a woman wearing a tee-shirt with the slogan that went something like, "I want to look sexy but that doesn't mean I want sex". If we wanted to make sure that no one was attracted to us in a sexual way, we would all have to put a bag over our heads. But what is wrong with the way we look? But that can be sexy or just plain very attractive to someone. In our society we have come to think that someone that is looking really nice is asking to have sex. Maybe they just want to look really nice. On the other hand if someone mentions how nice they look that doesn't mean automatically that there is an intention to have sex. We live in a world with so many diverse ideas. So how do we deal with this? Ben Wiens

Hi all Perhaps the question of dumping your girlfriend should have gone into the psychology thread. I can speak from experience that many times a fetish can create many complications in relationships with the opposite sex. It partly depends how many fetishes you have. Are high heels your only fetish? Take me. I will come out and admit that I have many fetishes. Why I could make a whole long, long list. The list doesn't end here. I like definite colors, designs, and materials. These likes are not on me but on a woman. Do you think any woman on earth might be eager to satisfy all my desires. Not likely. So which one's do I say it is OK to pass over when dating a girl? Fetishes can be so exciting because they strike such a definite cord in a person. But they can also get a little out of hand. Now that I understand a little bit more of my desires, I have begun to understand what makes others tic. So I have this woman friend who was married to a man that had this thin woman fetish. He encouraged her to starve herself till she almost died. Now that was a little exciting for him to see her shrivel up to skin and bones, but not for her. I have annoyed so many women in the past begging for them to do things to satisfy my lists of fetishes, I am actually embarrassed. So fetishes can be exciting, but also can distance good people from each other. Also fetishes can change with time for many people. Why for many years I had an extreme high heel fetish. Right now I am suddenly more attracted to a nice low shoe on a woman. I love women in running shoes, hiking boots, or low-heeled boots. Maybe that will change next month. The world is full of people who would be nice to get to know or be with. If we have fetishes that involve other people, it is too bad we are faced with a such desires that might shut off some very nice people. Studies have shown that most people in relationships are really dreaming of another person when making love. Maybe this shows that many people are willing to give up their fetishes for the right person. I think many people have to manage their fetishes. Ben Wiens

Hi Laurie Thanks for your reply essay 2002Mar17 on deception, secrecy, and filtration. I love philosophy and your ideas formed the basis of several interesting conversations with friends. Ben

Hi Laurie and others WRITERS BLOCK Regarding "Writers Block". Basically I agree with you. It is a condition where someone wants to keep writing the particular piece when they should be switching gears. But speed writing I believe is an exercise that helps unlock people's writing ability. Many people like myself try to write too perfectly in the first draft. Same goes for many other creative fields. It is sometimes good to just spit it all out no matter how it sounds or looks at first. BEING WEIRD IN SANCTIONED SITUATIONS It was not my intention to imply that one should only do self-expression in sanctioned situations. I was suggesting that it is an avenue to use. Also, there are ways to legitimize almost anything. For some people this is important. SELF EXPRESSION It might be great to live in a world where individuals could express themselves without fear of reprisal. We do live in a world however where most of society literally thrives on secrecy, deception, and filtration. I had a conversation with a friend where I mentioned that over 95% of what I tell people are carefully filtered thoughts. She thought that was crazy and claimed that almost nothing of what she said was ever filtered. Well, I think some people have crazier thoughts than others for sure. I don't consider myself very weird at all, but I find when I get tired and lose my ability to filter, all hell breaks loose. I am quite sure that if I expressed myself the way it was thought out in my mind that I would have no work, no friends, and no family. I would be forced out into the wilderness to fend for myself. WHAT ARE THE RESTRICTIVE ZONES I don't like deception, but I think filtration and secrecy are unfortunate but sometimes necessary aspects of life. For example if a coworker is feeling down, would you like it if they babbled all day long about how miserable they felt? Would you like it if your spouse rambled on for hours about how ugly you looked in a certain dress. Realistically that might be going through their minds. Here is a tricky one. If you own a law practice and yourself like to wear suits and nice shoes because you think that looks good, would you like it if those lawyers working under you would be allowed to come to work in torn jeans, barefoot, and tousled hair, and would talk to clients using phrases like "hey dude, how's it going." But what's really wrong with this? Sure, but what happens when people are allowed to do such diverse things that everyone is grating each other's nerves? Work and all types of relationships are especially testing zones of human expression. I had a gal friend who was married for about 6 years to a male before finding out he was gay. She went to all kinds of counselors to find out if there was something she could do to make her man responsive to her. Meanwhile he was having other relationships in secret. This kind of thing is common in our society, though it is not good in mind. But society is so used to this deception, that when people say the truth, or express what they really feel, or like to wear, it becomes a big shock to society. NO ANSWERS HERE In writing all this I don't mean to imply that I have found the answer to creative expression. I think some people are allowed more expression, some less. This depends on situations, and how offbeat the particular person is. It also doesn't help to choose friends that are also weird. I have had conversations with other very self-expressing people, who think that my ideas and behavior are totally unacceptable. Enough said, tell us what you think. Ben <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-03-16 20:13 ]</font>

Hi Laurie I very much enjoyed reading what other's referred to as your very verbal piece on the history of style. I too get carried away with writing long pieces. Do you see movies? Have you seen "Finding Forrester". There is a part about telling the kid to sit down at the typewriter and type whatever comes to mind. This is a well-known way of getting rid of writer's block. I have done it myself. Well better to do your writing exercises for a purpose here in this forum, rather than type up something that no one gets to read. I actually read your essay the day after you wrote it about two weeks ago and thought about it a lot as I was backcountry skiing up in the mountains close to home. Here is the part that I liked the most... "If we return to a renaissance, if we create that mood of free thought and competitive expression, then we can cast aside the stale social conventions that make thin blonde women under 18 into stars and say that men must wear army boots and women clunky heeled sandals with a platform." I want to be a renaissance man. It really is hard though. The people that are alike share so much, the people that like to freely express themselves are all different from each other. They have little support. Why the other day I was working in a movie shoot. I thought the others must all be small time actors, maybe open minded. At some point we were all on a dinner break and in a lineup for some food. I did my howling crying act. You know, pretending I was terribly, terribly sad. Everything got quiet. I thought I was just exercising my acting muscles a bit, but I got some pretty big stares. I couldn't figure out why everyone didn't join me. Anyways I did get to have some fun later in the movie. It was pretty much a 12 hr lay on the bunk beds scene for most of us. I managed to think of such sad thoughts that I actually got myself to cry a lot every time the cameras came by. The gal next to me said I looked very sick and unhappy. I even got to lay in bed crying with the camera pointed right in my face. My point? Society suggests that it is great to do weird things in the sanctioned situations. It was not alright to cry at dinner, but it was considered great in the movie scene. It seems fine for people to drink and then do weird things. So my thoughts? If you crave to do something different, find a legitimate smokescreen or banner to do it under. Like to wear different clothes? Just wait for Halloween, or maybe get some friends together for a dress-up party. Just some thoughts. Ben

Hi all Thought I'd take a break from the digital photography newsgroup I got interested in and help you ponder this men wearing high heels issue. I remember seeing the video Dr Zhivago a while ago. Near the beginning of the movie I am sure one of the young men was wearing pretty high heel shoes? I know that a long time ago many men wore high heels, but when was the most recent time that they were considered fashionable? Other than say 2 inch heels, did higher one's just go out with a bang? Was it the war that did it, with men having to be tough and all? I wonder if there are fashion reference books and novels that talk about what kind of psychology and thinking was associated with this at the time? Ben

Hi Chip and everyone else You asked, "How long can we keep this up"? Personally I would have liked to see this site be a fashion site. Then we could have talked about all kinds of fashion. In the past I have belonged to all kinds of clubs and associations. Most people in the bicycle club only bicycle, not much else, the people in the Computer Aided Design association think about this most of the time, and those in the mountaineering clubs dedicate their life mostly to this. Very focused people in mostly one subject. They build up good friendships in their specialized groups. I have thousands of interests and find I keep jumping from specialized group to specialized group. I lose out because I don't get to know people in the groups very well. I don't understand why the world likes to focus so much. Ben The world is like one big orchard. There are so many kinds of fruit. It is hard for me to decide what fruit to eat next. On the other hand I like the routine of eating the fruit at breakfast, lunch, and supper. I also like hanging out with the same gang in the orchard. Go figure. <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-02-21 19:06 ]</font>

Hi Laurie For the record, my comments and questions about feet becoming deformed were based on pointed toe shoes and not high heels. I mentioned high heels in the context that it appears most people like high heel shoes with pointed toes. I think many non sandal type women's dress shoes have pointed toes also. Ben What is the attraction to pointed styles I sometimes wonder? There are pointed hats, pointed bras, pointed shoe toes, pointed heels, pointed fingernails, pointed frames of glasses, pointed ties. The human body is rounded and we love to reshape it to be pointed?

Hi Laurie Yes, you actually wrote the following: "So in the past few years, I have noticed that my toes angle in more. Just a bit, mind you. My feet are not wide by any means, but my toes are a bit long". Maybe you can see why I am scratching my head a bit. Before you said this was happening, now you say it is not? I did hinge a lot of my first note on this comment. I felt that if you are a knowledgeable high heel wearer and this is also happening to you, then it is a big problem. I also noted that you are young and haven't been wearing high heels steadily for that long. That's what was going through my mind. Ben <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-02-20 19:17 ]</font>

Hi Debbie, Laurie, and Inga Read your replies. It would be good if anyone could shed some light on why many women have deformed feet. (1) Is it because they aren't smart and don't know how to pick shoes? (2) Do the shoe salesmen push them into buying shoes that are too short and narrow? (3) Do they think shorter pointed toes look nice? (4) Are some women's feet wider and they want them to look narrower by buying a shoe that is too narrow? (5) Do they find that a loose fitting shoe results in their feet sliding forward? (6) Some women's feet are tougher than others. Perhaps you could do the world a big favor here and in detail point out how to buy shoes so feet won't become deformed? Of course I am also wondering how you are interpreting "feet being deformed"? Laurie, I read an earlier post where you said that your big toe has become slightly bent inwards through wearing pointed toe shoes. So I would like some clarification on that as well. Personally I do like the look of toes that all point nicely forward. Years ago I once tried on a pair of semi-pointed toe shoes, some of the men's styles are this way. I personally was horrified at how they pinched the sides of my foot and how they squeezed the toes together, even when the shoe was the right size. Now that I think back, this is why I don't even look at these styles anymore. So I just can't comprehend at the moment how any pointed toe shoe that I have seen would not pinch the toes, unless the shoe was much too big. They seem to start the point way back at the ball of the foot to make it look right. Ben The opposite of pointed toe shoes are my felt lined steel toed "clown boots", maybe I could make a fashion statement with them. <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-02-19 18:23 ]</font>

Hi all: Something has come to my attention. Call me naive, but sometimes I just don't know what is going on. I read a thread in the "For Gals" discussion that shocked me. Actually I was quite sick to my stomach. It appears that when people wear pointed toe shoes, over time their toes are forced inwards and so the toes may even point radically inwards and sometimes the other toes bunch up underneath each other. Since I read the thread, it is about all I could think of between then and now. So I thought I might get it off my chest by doing a little ranting. :eek: Recently I saw a woman's feet like this. I thought she had a disease of the foot. I was very repulsed by the look. If most women like to wear pointed toe high heels shoes, and this is what happens to their feet, I am not impressed. I think it also was not totally a joke when it was suggested on a TV show that women even consider cutting of a toe or two to make their feet fit into the pointed toe shoes. Please, women, if you are just starting to wear these kind of pointed toe shoes, and your feet have not already become damaged goods, I encourage you not to wear these pointed toe shoes. You will not be receiving my attention in the future. If this is what pointed toe shoes do to women's feet, I don't think I can bear to look at another woman walking in this kind of shoe. If most women like to wear high heels with pointed toes, my whole fascination with women wearing high heels might be totally reversed. I might start being attracted to women wearing running shoes or round toe flat shoes. I like style, but I don't like to encourage it when it damages the body and makes it look ugly. In my dreams I might like to think about certain crazy things, but when I am awake, these things quickly fade. There have been other things that have been promoted in the past as being fashionable, such as smoking. It might seem sexy to people, but especially when I see older women that are all wrinkled up, and they are gasping for breath, it also makes me feel ill when I see someone smoking. I know we all take chances on things in life, but I don't think we should be throwing ourselves into the fire. Ben <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-02-18 20:35 ]</font>

Hi Firefox and everyone else I am thinking along the lines of what Firefox said "I prefer to see women with normal feet shapes". I think I would voice this a lot stronger. Recently I saw a women's feet with the toe pointing in and the toes tucked under. Call me naive, but I thought she had a disease of the foot. I was very repulsed by the look. If most women like to wear pointed toe high heels shoes, and this is what happens to their feet, I am not impressed. If this is what pointed toe shoes do to women's feet, I don't think I can bear to look at another women walking in these kind of shoes. Please tell me this isn't happening to most women's feet wearing high heels. Ben

Hi Inga, Firefox and everyone else I think women look at men more than most admit, Inga. It appears to be more politically correct for men to say they are looking. Then again I wonder if women do the looking unconsciously and men consciously. Case in point one of my women friends. OK, we used to go out ten years ago and still keep in touch a fair bit. She makes all these comments like...you should be proud of your body, you look like a twenty year old"...and well I'm a fair bit older...then..."wow you look good in those shorts". You know I don't want to brag, but I had to use some sort of example. And yes I have had women follow me down the trails in the mountains, and I tried to walk behind them, but they so swiftly got behind me time and again. But talking about human psychology again. The former girlfriend I mentioned before. I know she likes it when I wear nice things. On the other hand, she hardly puts any effort into what she wears at all. She has a nice figure, but often wears old baggy sweats as if she is making a statement that looks doesn't matter at all. Sometimes she asks me if I might go with her to do some shopping so I could help her pick out some clothes, but this idea passes quickly it seems and she gets negative about wearing nice clothes. Can anyone guess what the underlying psychology is here? Firefox, you mentioned that you like observing women wearing normal types of fashion heels in normal street settings. I must admit that practicality has a lot to do with whether I like a style. If people in general are wearing it in the street, then it must be somewhat practical. That is exciting for me because they are bound to wear it more often. That means I can enjoy it more. Also I find that something daring worn in public is more exciting that if it is done in private. Ben People have different ideas. Some people think it is necessary to wear heavy boots with full shank while backpacking, while others think it is best to backpack with barefeet.

Hi all As Laurie mentioned, we call these trainers, runners here in Canada. That is because people use them for running in for whatever reason, not only for training. One reason why these shoes have become so popular is because the more dressy shoes are often made uncomfortable. But this doesn't have to be the case. Blame the manufacturers. When I look for a new pair of more dressy shoes, it generally takes me about 4 years to buy a pair. That is after about 100 fittings. In the future I will have to go about this in a more sophisticated way. I will start making a list and gradually I will find out which manufacturer is making something I like to wear. Ben Notice how runners are getting wider and wider soles. I am thinking of using them as flippers. <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ben(Canada) on 2002-02-16 23:02 ]</font>

Hi all Well some of you might know that I like to think technically about things, sometimes even overcomplicating things a bit On the aspect of "do platforms make sense" as opposed to say "do they look nice", here is what I have come up with. This is after thinking about all the comments in this forum. I hope this is neither too logical yet has some logical value to it. Really, I think platform shoes were meant as cheater shoes, for those people that didn't want to train so they would be able to wear really high heels. But most people really like the look of high arch high heels. If you combine a high platform with a very high arch high heel you come up with say a 9" heel. Now I know I have mentioned some liking for ballet boots in the past. But after some thinking on this, the 9" height of heel makes women really too high off the ground, and much higher than most men. I think in reality, as opposed to my dreams, I would not like this because the high heel wearers would often be much taller than me! So I can see how people who can wear high arch high heels probably want to show they can wear really high heels without the fudging platforms. Ben Shoes give you understanding!