JeffB

I thought I'd share this little story with you in the hopes that other will share their tales of acceptance of men in heels so that lurkers to this board who might be too afraid to venture out in public in the shoes they favor might take courage from our exploits and break their chains of fear as we have. I've been wearing women's shoes to the office every day for almost two years now, and, for the last several months, I've worn nothing but pumps. On Monday, I was showing off a new pair of pumps I bought from Payless to my co-workers who've accepted me for the shoes I choose to wear. Everyone was impressed except for one lady, our department's resident fashion plate who grew angry and grumbled at me: "Black again! Why do you always wear black? Why don't you try another color?" I found that a little humorous, and reassuring at the same time. I've been so accepted by my co-workers that one of them actually got into a snit because I only wear black! So you see, public wearing of high heels by men can be done, and acceptance is possible. You just have to go out there and do it! Sitting in the closet doesn't solve anything! As for the color question, well, maybe I'll satisfy that co-worker's complaint and expand my horizons!

I forgot to mention that I have a pair of 4 inch high ankle boots that I've worn to the office on occasion. I can go an entire day in them easily because I spend a majority of my time at my desk, so it's no problem. However, I'd never go higher than four inches. But that's just my preference.

Well, I usually opt for off-black hosiery (I wear pantyhose every day at work) to go with my shoes, all of which are black. When paired with gray or black pants, it all matches well together. Far be it for me to be a fashion expert, but I wouldn't wear black hosiery with white shoes, too much contrast. The same goes for white hosiery with black shoes. Still, in the end, it all depends on the individual and his/her own taste.

Well, I've been wearing heels since I was 13 (I'm 43 now), but I've only been out of the closet October of 2000 when I started wearing heels to work. I started slow with stack heeled loafers that a couple of folks mistook for MEN'S shoes, then worked my way up to ankle boots, then, a few months ago, the final frontier: pumps! And I haven't looked back since! In fact, as I've stated in another area, pumps are now all I wear at the office! Sure, there was more than plenty of anxiety in the beginning, worrying about what co-workers might think and all, but the reactions were incredibly positive, even complimentary in some cases. I think the main reason people are in the closet is fear, and that's understandable, I was plenty fearful too, but I decided that life was too damn short to be chained by fear and that I was gonna do what I wanted to do, and the rest was history. Once you overcome your fear, leaving the closet will be a snap!

I like black tights too, but some days I'll be in the mood to wear something more sheer. At the office, I'm sure a good many of my co-workers either know or suspect that I'm wearing some sort of hosiery with my pumps, but no one's bothered to ask. Just like with the shoes, they've grown used to what I wear on a daily basis. Now that spring has arrived, I may well opt to wear a lighter shade of hose and see what sort of reactions I get from that!

Well, speaking as someone who's worn nothing but pumps to work of late, including a pair of black patents, I don't think it'll be any sort of problem with you. Since your co-workers are already sued to what you wear, the transition should be an easy one. Still, it was a wise move to ask your supervisor about it. Me? I never asked anyone, I simply wore pumps to work and that was that! No headaches, no hassles, no nothing....except for compliments of course. In time, you may well find that the more you wear pumps to the office, the more reluctant you'll be to wear anything else, just like me! Cheers!

Well, Highluc, I wouldn't need much space to describe my shoe collection as it consists mainly of pumps! All in basic black! Yeah, I know I need variety in my life, but that's always been and always will be my favorite shoe style. See? That didn't take much space, now did it!

Perhaps it's just me, but of late, it's become so natural for me to wear heels, especially at work, it just feels so incredibly normal as though I've been doing this all my life. During the course of a day at the office, I sometimes forget I have heels on, and the only time I'm reminded of that is when I hear them on tile or concrete, it's that natural to me! And since I wear nothing but pumps at the office now, even on casual Fridays, my stack heeled loafers are collecting dust in their boxes as I just can't bring myself to wear anything else. Again, it's a matter of how natural, and normal it feels for me to wear pumps. It'd be interesting to find out if anyone else feels the same way about they shoes they wear.

Well, I look at myself as something of a traditionalist when it comes to shoes, so to me, nothing looks sexier than your classic, four inch heeled pump in basic black. Black patent however is flat out awesome!

Congrats to you, Jim. You'll find that the majority of people you'll see in your travels are too wrapped up in their own lives and affairs to notice, or care what a man might be wearing on his feet, even if they're stilettos. As for folks who might stare or do double takes, they're a VERY small minority. The more you wear what you choose to wear, the more comfortable you'll eventually become.

Well, because I wear women's shoes, AND hosiery, I guess I could be considered a partial crossdresser, but that viewpoint depends solely on the individual and how he perceives himself. I like women's shoes because of how they look and feel, and pairing them with hosiery makes them look even better, so that's what I choose to wear, regardless of how I might be labeled.

Name: Jeff Age: 43 Gender: Male Location: Southeastern PA Occupation: Personnel Clerk Height: 6ft 2ins Weight: 225 Shoe size: 13 wide (ugh!) What's your favourite heel style: stilettos, blades What's your favourite shoe style: Pumps, pumps and more pumps!!!! Do you wear your heels outside: Always, especially to work What is: (a) Your favourite heel height: 3-4 in ( Your highest heel height: 4in How often do you wear: (a) Your favourite heel height: 5 days a week ( Your highest heel height: Occasionally Do you wear socks, hose, stockings or bare feet with your shoes: Pantyhose, a must with pumps Anything else you wish to add: I'd love to find blade heels in 13 wide. They'd be so cool to wear!

The office is an ideal place for heels, and I can certainly attest to that, given I wear pumps there! I'm not much of a social animal, but I suppose that parties and similar sort of gatherings could work well too. Or, if one is bold enough, perhaps to church. Say, a nice suit with straight legged pants and pumps. I'm sure God wouldn't mind!

Nope! Just to work. I save my stack heeled loafers and boots for my weekend jaunts.

Well, I'll admit that in the beginning it took a considerable amount of nerve to wear pumps to the office, and I was inwardly terrified that very first time. Since then, it's become embarrassingly easy, almost commonplace. I no longer bother with my stack heeled loafers which was my shoe of choice when I first started wearing heels to work, now it's pumps and pumps only, even on casual Friday! I just can't imagine wearing any other kind of shoe! And I'd kill for more if I could find 'em in my size! While I liked the compliment from SQ, I'm just doing what I enjoy. Sure, it takes courage for a male to wear pumps five days a week, but I'm merely exercising my right of fashion freedom, nothing more. Besides, I've come to believe that I have better looking shoes than some of the women at the office!

This is just me, mind you, but i wear regular length pants with my shoes, including my pumps. After all, what's the sense in wearing heels if you don't show 'em off?

In my case, for regular, day to day wear, and I wear pumps at the office every day, I max out at three inches. I'd love to go to four which I can manage, but those are hard to find in my size. I'm a believer in comfort over height, that's why my standard is three inches.

I do the bulk of my shoe buying at Payless because not many manufacturers make women's shoes in 13 wide which is what I need for maximum comfort, especially since I spent eight hours a day in them at work. However, the selection in 13 wide at Payless seems to be decreasing all the time, even though women are getting bigger. I only shop at Payless stores in the inner city where I live as they have the size I need. In suburban stores, they only go up to 12, and in some places, only 11, so you have to notice that when you shop.

I can grasp what everyone's said here about the addictive powers of high heels. Fridays are casual dress days at my office where everyone dresses down, and that includes wearing sneakers and whatnot, yet, I can't bring myself NOT to wear heels to the office, even when I don't have to. I'd feel strange if I went a day at work without my heels.

Hello, HHP! So, my reputation, such as it is preceeds me! At a rather considerable 13 wide, my choices in shoes are somewhat limited, but that doesn't stop me from searching. I'm happy just to find what I find. Those pumps you displayed in your last post are quite stylish. At the office, what I wear on my feet isn't an issue with my superiors, especially since we don't come in contact with the public, so that's never been a problem. My co-workers are often impressed with the shoes I wear, one lady said I look very stylish in my pumps. Compliments like those make everything worthwhile! For the record, i also wear hosiery with my pumps. Anything else just wouldn't do!

Yes, I've noticed that as well. But that's always the case. One of my co-workers is 26 and she likes my shoes, especially the pumps. She even suggested I break free from wearing only black and try other colors! The majority of the people in the office (nearly 200 spread out on four floors) are in their 30's and 40's, so that's made things easier for me.

Hiya, gang! Just thought I'd throw in my two cents (devalued after inflation) on this topic! For a male to wear standard pumps to the office is perhaps the boldest step possible, and I should know since I've done it. Block heels are one thing, but stilettos are quite another. Again, it depends upon one's own taste and how he thinks he'd be accepted. I've been wearing practically nothing but pumps to work for a couple of months now, I've stuck to conservative styles, (black nothing over three inches) and I've been accepted for what I choose to wear. Co-workers did the occasional double take, which I expected, but no one's gone screaming to the boss about my being a pervert. Hell, one of the upper brass, a classy lady even complimented me on my shoes once! A couple of female co-workers even complained of being jealous of my shoes! Everyone at the office knows I've been wearing women's shoes in general and pumps in particular and no one's raised a stink. By being tasteful instead of extravagant, I've managed to make this work. Wearing pumps to work (and now I can't envision wearing anything else!) can be done if you do it right!

To answer your question, T, wingtips are men's dress shoes with stitching on the toes that sorta looks like wings. It's rather hard to accurately describe, but those are perhaps the ugliest men's shoes around today.

I wouldn't know about driving in heels since I don't own a car. But that's neither here or there. As for the topic under discussion, oh, yes, there is most definitely oppression in men's fashions these days. If, as a man, you wear any sort of bright colored clothes or pastel, you're looked upon as effeminate. As for shoes, it's nothing but wingtips and it's assorted relations. Me? I wouldn't be caught dead in wingtips! The mindset, at least with shoes is till firmly in place: that only women should wear heels and men stick to their wingtips. Well, I've done what I've could to break that stereotype, in fact, I've gotten nothing but compliments on the shoes I wear, especially my pumps! It's gonna take a lot of work to break the mindset regarding what men should or shouldn't wear.

Now this may well be a subjective topic of interest to only a few, but since I began wearing mostly pumps at the office, I've paired them with full blown hosiery....yes. pantyhose! In the beginning when I wore heels to work, I started off with block heeled loafers and boots, and socks worked well with them. But as I graduated to pumps, socks just didn't cut the mustard because even the sheerest men's variety made my shoes tight fitting. So, I went to knee highs which were an improvement, finally, to pantyhose which I now wear to work every day. I don't know if the feeling I get from wearing hosiery can be quantified as sexual, but I do enjoy the feel of hosiery under my slacks five days a week. In case anyone's curious, my brand of choice is Hanes Resilence with is both sheer and pretty durable for day to day wear. I'd be curious to know if anyone else out there wears hosiery with their shoes. Should make for some interesting conversation I think.