Histiletto

Hey mlroseplant,

I have to ask for clarification, did you include the platform thickness of 1 3/8" in the total of your gained height of 3 3/4"? If so, the actual gain from the platform surface level is 2 3/8". This means the relative height of the heel is 4 1/4".

I kind of wish the sloping angle of the sole was noted in the sizing info, instead of the height of the heel. This way the heel height would be dependent on the design of the slope and therefore have the same relative look, no matter what the size is. When I see a display of a 4" heel that is a size 6 and I like the total look: I don't want to get the featured shoe with a 4" heel in a size 12. To me this is not the same style of heels that was sold to me in the ad display, for the heel height should have reached at least 5 to 5.5" in the size 12 .

HEY! Huhwhat! Welcome to the forum. The fact that you enjoy wearing high heels definitely gives you the position of good standing here. We may not have the same favored styles we want to wear, but that is what being real is all about. I support your right to make such choices. 

Although I understand the reasoning why we do it, but we're actually doing a disservice in keeping our high heel wearing hidden, especially from the ones we have dedicated our life to care about and want them to become familiar with and love the real us. The distorted social image we are being forced to live up to will continue to reign unless more people realize how messed up it is. Nature gave each person the ability to have and use their own set of tastes in presenting themselves before others. This natural agency has been belittled and defiled by those who have been schooled and brainwashed into complying with the imposed stereotyping, which excuses and denies an individual's sense of taste and desire for being faulty unless they follow the established dictates society has standardized and promotes. The idea that you can't want, use, and/or wear something, because others don't prefer it, is the same type of mentality that promotes bullying and servitude.  

Many people seem to understand the height of the heel will raise a person the same amount. Lets consider how the foot and ankle moves as the slope of the foot increases. First, note the barefoot position of the ankle and the heel of the foot when flat on the floor. Put a dot on the center of the ankle and another dot on the back of the heel and note their position level. Take a vertical measurement from the floor to the ankle dot. Now by balancing on the ball joints of the toes, raise the heel as high as it will go. Where are the two dots in relation to each other? Closer to the same level upon reaching a maximum lift. So at some point as the heel rose, the height of the ankle didn't raise as much. Now, take a vertical measurement from the floor to the ankle dot. The vertical distance the ankle rises is the maximum height that person can naturally raise their body, because of the rotation of the heel around the ankle. A person at the height of 5' 7", wearing a woman's US size 9 can expect a gain of around 2.5" in 4" heels. Any higher heels won't have as significant a height gain to warrant wearing them, except for impressing others with look and the bragging rights. Platforms only change the surface level, which is added to the vertical distance the ankle rose to know what their artificial height gain is. 

The male renunciation may have been a noted change in social attitude, but essentially it was more of a step towards or an act of social enslavement - for it further tries to limit our freedom as individuals to make personal choices as to how we can apply our natural desires for appareling items to be used as modems of expression. Some of the results of this limiting movement are the many activities and practices of social defiance and/or alternative lifestyles that have become social segments that cater to those of similar perspectives. Even our beloved HHP helps to fill a need for offering some refuge in having the desire to wear the high heels we choose, because of this socially promoted renunciation. It is known that only those of privilege and/or affluency in the centuries before the nineteenth were able to indulge their taste for wearing heels, but that doesn't mean those of lesser status didn't have a taste for wearing them. That's probably why the wearing of high heels had to be ruled or made unavailable to the lower influential classes of citizens.       

Most of the heel brands and outlets I favored have abandoned the styling I prefer in order to follow their idea on today's fashion cycle, which tend to look a bit deformed in my perception. Thus going from store to store hasn't been as fruitful in finding the heels I want to accent my appearance. I wonder if the market had actually been demand driven, would I have to wait for the cycle to change to find the heel styles I want? Then again, the cost would be higher to accommodate the process. Occasionally, I find my preferred styles in the clearance areas, sales sites, being sold by Ebayer's, or by on consignment sellers wanting to liquefy their investment(s) or to make some room available in their closet for their next purchase(s). However, I have been active in the Italia Boutique auctions and other European high heel sites when I can afford them. I may be fanatic about the styles I prefer, but it keeps my budget in some degree of balance most of the time.

Hey mlroseplant,

Apparently, the relationship of your family and the lovely young lady have been beneficial for all concerned. Hope she finds a good job worthy of her skills where ever she decides to live. The issue of whose wearing the heels is interesting, but understanding the good happening because of this relationship fills my heart with gratitude and joy. Thanks for sharing!

It seems as though many of the kids in the school systems (K-12 or the equivalent age) for the past 10 years are more open to a world of change or to changing the world. I suppose having easier access to worldwide communication has aided this perspective. Maybe these types of connections should be promoted, so that some of the biases, misunderstandings and propagandas are debunked or at least being offered better alternatives to establish what the truth is. There is no doubt the impact of the Radio-Free Europe broadcasts helped in making available the more correct understanding concerning the world's situation to the population in the western satellite countries under the military control of the USSR. Also many of the Iranian people who had access to their personal computers after the Iranian mass kidnapping of U.S. citizens had ended, were able to communicate their feelings and concerns about what happened, which tended to somewhat reshape the relationships between the Iranian people and the rest of the world. When this communication was stifled, these people were led to believe non-Moslems were the enemies out to destroy their religion and way of life. Right now, the majority of the population of North Korea have little to base their understanding of the rest of the world, because they have been so isolated, suppressed, and enslaved that in order to survive they are willing to reveal any behaviors of their team mates (who could be relatives) that seem subversive to gain favor and privileges. This is the real tragedy that exist because of the North Korean dictatorship, although the threat to humanity in using nuclear weapons to get what Kim Jong Un wants, also ranks up there on this tragic scale.

Many good reformations and social upgrades came out of the Age of Enlightenment, but the differences between men and women were used to counter the rising status of women from only being considered the property of men to being their companions and having an increased importance or sway in community affairs. Since men, at that time, usually worked long hours each day in the factories, women had to also be the family's financial manager. This meant women had more influence into what and how many businesses marketed products and services. Mean while, men were more concerned about getting ready for the next days work schedule, that they kind of withdrew from the social scene, which gave others the idea that men had no time for social activities and only wanted the things necessary to do their job. This attitude led to the idea that men only wanted rational and practical things for living. Since then, the working conditions have greatly improved to where men have more leisure time to enjoy living socially, but the mold of being practical became a standard stereotyping that keeps men limited in their choices of apparel. The accompanying attitude that seems to originate from homophobic perceptions in which men would become femininely oriented should they reveal any tendency to wear things considered irrational, have come to dominate the social environment. The idea of guys choosing to wear cowl neck shirts, fitted jeans, and high heels shouldn't even be a bleep on the fashion meter, not to mention usual, common, and frequent occurrences. Yes, guys are just as interested in wearing attractive apparel that they find tasteful and fits their appearance. Just because others don't have the same taste doesn't give them the right to deny or forbid such appearances. Take a look at this from your perspective should someone try to prevent you from wearing your favorite pair of jeans, because they don't want you to wear them. Apparel is meant to be chosen by those who desire to include its accent for their outfit, not the other way round where an attiring item has already had its wearer chosen for it.

If you see a subject in another section or an old one in this section that you would like to submit, it wouldn't hurt to make a reference as to where the idea came from. This way a comment could be made after they have seen what has been posted. Former post, some of which are now closed, have tremendous values of interesting and factual information to impart to those who are willing to take the time and wade through them.

As far as being stuck in high heels, the thought has crossed everyone's mind with the unsatisfied desire to wear high heels openly. Then the reality hits and they realize how curtailing such predicaments would do to ones quality of life. Yes, I want to wear high heels 24/7, but the idea of going to the gym, working on a hard labor job, running in a marathon, swimming in heels, or etc. may be in ones dreams, but the actual performance will most likely end in disappointment and possible injury(ies) with damaged footwear. Even dancing in heels is an acceptable activity, but special consideration has to be made for the programmed performance and the footwear to be selected.

I enjoy wearing high spike/stiletto pumps when the heel height and sloping dominates their attraction - similar to how mlroseplant described. Wearing a platform that significantly diminishes the slope looses the pizazz I prefer. In fact, platforms should not be used until after the height of the heel is close to reaching a person's foot sloping limit. This limit varies per person, because of the size, construction, and acclimation potential of their feet and ankles.  Also, platforms that look like they were an added feature at the last minute or the heel height isn't high enough or over extends the vertical support for the wearer, takes away the completeness from the total quality look. 

Yes, the choice of what we wear has always been ours, but social standards have caused the exercising of this choice seem like it is a sin or a perversion against society's intent to make us comply with its ideals.

Contrary to popular social attitudes, many men have just as much need, interest, and/or taste as many women have in the wearing of the attire they find looks good. In this respect, we are equal. Letting people have the respect to naturally choose and wear their own desired outfits has not been a societal feature. I guess this thinking stems from the status policies created by civilization when people were placed by their wealth and power while using attire as identifiers of their job or community positions. The natural right to choose our own outfits depending on our personality tastes was taken away. Then standards were set up to place more controls over what people could choose to wear. When these man-made rules were challenged or not kept, the attitude was to ridicule, persecute, imprison, and/or exile the defilers until they returned to complying or met with death. Society promoted these perpetrators as demons, perverts, and social idiots so the fear of such titles would help, encourage, or even force others to stay in compliance. Things haven't seem to change much in this day and age of the greatest exponential learning and technical advancements ever known, yet we can't know what each individual thinks and perceives all the time. Individuality is a natural property of how mankind is suppose to function. When the ability to choose ones own attire was taken away, the natural power to be and express differences was compromised. The social contentions, like men's high heels or women's pants wouldn't have become a social issue, if people's right to choose their own apparel had never been placed in society's dictation.  

I have a hard time understanding the mindset that men of any status or means, since the 18th century, could only develop the confined aesthetic ability to like and/or want to wear only the attire that fits within the societal standards. Of course, the men that didn't comply with the stereotyping faced public humiliation, ridicule, or imprisonment of sorts, not to mention religious sanctions. So, such detailed evidences as to the thoughts and actions of real men, became muffled and distorted until it gave way to forming the ideals of today's manhood. 

An assumption promoted by recorded social history that men quit wearing high heels, should be re-considered, if not flat out charged with deception by implying that men lost or ceased to desire or have the taste for wearing high heeled footwear. From the attitudes encouraged through the Age of the Enlightenment, society also asserted that real men were beings disciplined in logic and practicality, while women were more aesthetically and frivolously inclined. How is it that men can completely loose their desire or taste to choosing varieties of peacock fashions to being satisfied in getting limited to minimally dull and drab selections in designs and colors as society determined it so?

I'm not into wearing jewelry and it is just something I'd have to be concerned with loosing.

I rejoice that a number of you can wear such extremely high heels. For me to wear the high heel shoes with the sloping needed to negotiate the height over 16cm is more than the physical mechanics of my feet and ankle construction will allow. Even the wearing of my 6" stiletto single soled pumps hasn't gotten me anywhere close to feeling I could think of wearing them for the public venues that I already enjoy wearing my 4 to 5" stiletto heels at.

I've recently picked up some high heels from Italia Boutique through the auction program they offer. After selecting the auction section in your shoe size range, you'll have access to many heels both single soled and platformed. If you see any that are of interest, first - click them into your watch list and if you want - put a bid in for them while noticing the ending date and time. Second - Make sure you have the funds ready to pay the ending bid + s&h available. Then figure how high you are willing to spend to win the auction and then add half of that amount difference to the present bid to make a possible winning bid in the highest bid table. This should let you know if you are the highest bidder or if you need to bid higher till you reach your maximum. People have learned to make bids when the auction is about to end, so be prepared to enter your top bid in the waning 5 seconds, if you feel it is needed. By the way the bidding is in Euros and the shipping and handling charge will be noted with the advertisement that is added to the final accepted bid, which should be considered as you enter your bid(s). If by chance you loose the auction, usually there is a relisting of the heels in another auction that will probably end in 6 t0 7 days, so you really have not lost all together. This will give you a better idea of what is expected for bidding process in order to win the auction. Usually auction followers know what the items they are bidding on have sold for, so it may take a few tries and experience to win the high heels you want. Just keep the amount you are willing to spend with in your budget or financial ability to pay. The penalties could ban your use of future E-bay transactions. 

Hey! krazykev64,

I also want to offer my condolences and remind you that your mother is continuing her existence in a better place with more opportunities to realize her eternal potentials. Our parents mean so much to us and they have contributed much to the lives they have touched in their mortal life. We cherish their memories and feel so inept in the shadow of their greatness as we strive to follow their example of being better individuals.

So you are going to walk 5 miles in your 5"+2" platform heels. That is commendable! I hope you have been preparing for this by going on lengthy walks, even with out your heels, to build the muscle toning and lung capacity needed for such a feat. Hope you raise a sizeable amount for the cause.  

No matter how careful I try to be, the stilettos some how collects debris and/or scrapes that needs immediate attention to be cleared or corrected. I've gone to many appointments, destinations, or errands wearing the unwanted gatherings and/or dings of ornamentations and not noticing such scourges until later. I expect some use wear on the tips, but why must the heel be effected, too? Oh well! The life of a high heeler can also be a challenge at times and many very satisfying experiences that make any inconveniences worth it.

I have a more than adequate collection of stilettos, but many of them are the same favorite heels for the backing up of my original favorites when it comes to the point of discarding them. Usually I wear my heels until they have little resale value. Otherwise, I keep extra heel tips for that type of repairing as needed. I am also somewhat of a fanatic buyer when I see a pair of heels that has to be part of my collection. 

When I shop for high heels, I don't need to know what concerns or opinions others have. I'm looking for some service to help me find or get the pair(s) that beckons to my taste and desire. Should the sales person/staff offer some encouraging words, it does sweeten the air and makes me feel more comfortable in returning for more shopping. I may even wear a pair of the heels from one of my former purchases with them, which generally encourages better service. 

Now I believe this thread is about showing the heels you're comfortable wearing in public. I have many heights ranging from 3.5" to 6", but for going out I wear 4 & 4.5 inches stilettos, like these GUCCI SOFIAS:

Hey FantasiArt,

Welcome Back! Your efforts of honesty have brought you some solace in knowing that your family loves you and doesn't want you to experience the cruelties our present social environment seems to offer those who show they don't necessarily identify with their stereotyping. Please don't blame your drive to wear items that females are known to wear on levels or degrees of femininity. You are you with the reproductive equipment of maledom and your taste for the items of adornment that have been assigned to females at this time is from who you are. 

Has anyone been able to know what they liked before someone else told them what to think? Actually, the most natural process a human does as they develop from infancy is discerning what they want to have and identify as theirs. So why does society (or other people) thinks it (they) knows better as to what individuals are suppose to like? Tell me - do you know what another person thinks all the time? So, how can others know better than you what you like?  As males, it's our programming that makes it an even harder choice to openly wear the outfits of which we really love the look if it is the least bit non-stereotypical. Why is that? What we have available to wear today is merely the improved versions of the coverings that people once used large leaves and tree bark for. These early coverings didn't have labels for a sex preference either. That understanding came later when some people of an early civilization decided to make it so, when the more manageable material of refined fabric weavings known as cloth replaced the need to use leaves as coverings.  To change this atmosphere from a type of apparel imprisonment to freely deciding upon the outfits we wear is for us to have the initiative and be aggressive in wearing our own styling. Fashion and other peoples perspectives are dependent on what a few people are socially willing to wear consistently. So when men start wearing their choice of high heels openly, the fashion industry and society will follow the lead by making heels a part of men's attire. The real question is what are we as men and women willing to undergo to successfully see this through and delete the imprisoning walls of the male attiring? 

Society has produced all manner of labels to identify human behaviors and appearances. Its mind-set is driven to promote a one size fits all approach in dealing with stereotypes. This perspective sees people as robots that only have certain functions which they are expected to perform in order to be in favor with the social norms. Individuals are not robots. They each have their own set of abilities, desires, and ways of processing and disseminating information. Their instincts to prefer or reject doesn't come from anyone else. They may be influenced to follow the crowd, so to speak, but that doesn't mean they whole-hardheartedly support the crowd's objectives. A woman wearing a shirt and trousers with work or "jump" boots doesn't define her as a male, neither should a man's image be seen as a woman wanna-be when they choose to wear a lacy and/or floral print top, pants or skirt with high heels. This is choosing your own look from who you are inside. All the social labeling can't deter a person from wanting to adorn their appearance with the items they find pleasing to be identified with. It's society promoting its man-made stereotypes that unjustly cause individuals to feel threaten to openly exhibit their natural sense of adornment.

Androgenius,

I really do appreciate your efforts for encouraging guys to adapt the more androgynous looks. With our socially taught ideals of manhood, this will help to open some minds on how people perceive what men ought to include as their choices of apparel. I look forward to when this box of ideas lets people know that every individual should be free to choose their appareling appearance from their own set of likes and dislikes.  

1969-italia-boutique is the E-bay store. It is a clothing outlet which happens to have its own selection of footwear - high heels being only part of the business. It has gained fame through its use of the auction process in selling some of its products. Depending on the participants bidding, good deals can be had or you might end up paying a lot more than usual if you bid too high and somebody else also wants to win the bidding but doesn't quite reach your maximum bid. Make sure you can financially back whatever you bid plus the postage, because the chance that you may become obligated to pay the winning bid plus the delivery cost is inevitable. If you should choose to skip the auctioning process and just buy what you want now, this options also available. Their package and delivery system promptly gets your order to you in a matter of 3 to 4 business days after your payment has been confirmed.

By the way, I have only been a customer who has purchased a number of their heels. For the most part, the quality has been good. As to what size to pick - it varies depending on your physical specifications, the footwear styling, and some comfort factors. As a rule of thumb, Italian sizing numbers is usually equal to the next increment up on the Euro scale. For example: an Italian 39 is somewhat equal to a Euro 40. This has only been my observation, so take it as a kind of a ballpark figure to finding your own sizing fit. Here's a store picture of a purchase I now have in my high heels selections - minus the lovely accent of the model, of course.