Shyheels

It really is! The more I read about fashion as a culture and the history of fashion the more I want to know. Heels are especially fascinating. They are such a paradox. On the one hand they are denounced as tools of the patriarchy, designed to hobble and objectify women for the pleasure of men, yet at the same time they are born with panache by many of the most powerful women in the world, leaders in business, politics, arts and entertain,ent who view their heels as symbols of empowered femininity, spend small fortunes on designer help and speak of the emotional lift and sense of empowerment that comes with putting on a pair of stilettos and string into a meeting. Men are expected to admire - lustily - high heels on women but are told from birth they mustn't ever even think about trying on a pair themselves. Who can't help but e fascinated by all this furore and taboo?

I wonder if perhaps they feel threatened or challenged by the look. I think you mentioned once that there is an element of almost being an outlaw or renegade for wearing heels. There seems to be very few neutral perceptions of high heels. As a writer and observer that’s one of the things I find fascinating about them - more than just footwear they’re a part of our culture, wrapped in mystique and complicated meanings.

I was wondering that too.

I'm much there same, but prefer almond-shaped toes. Living along a towpath makes things difficult as I don't are to ruin my boots or break an ankle!

Yes! Would have been nice to have had a coffee in town!

Teetering this morning with the boat on an ever so slight list to starboard - not unusual in narrowboats. You notice it vaguely when you walk along the galley and living space in regular shoes or slippers, but very much more so in 12cm stilettos. I’m looking at it as good training for balance! Yes - I was wondering if you had any good motorbike expeditions planned to make use of the fine autumn weather. I don’t think I’ve heard your standing in heels story, or at least I don’t recall it, so I’ll be interested to hear it!

Epically hideous

It is not the same at all as the arguments against electricity etc. that’s a palliative fed to the masses. This is far more insidious

Those are lovely boots. Well worth the investment

@higherheels I’m impressed! Standing for half an hour in 12cm stilettos is pretty darn good. to say nothing if walking to and from. One if the things I do for practicing on my boat in my 12cm heels is standing to eat my lunch and I can definitely feel it! I’ll get fit calves out of this if nothing else! I take your point about good design making a big difference. My Jean Gaborit boots are so incredibly comfortable and easy to walk in. @mlroseplant Have you any rides planned?

It does sound a little awkward and as though he hadn’t a clue or is unable to comprehend an alternative fashion choice. I’m glad there was no negativity.

It was warmer this morning so I was back into my 12cm heels, doing a few lengths of the boat - a good 15 to 18; steps each way given the shortened steps one takes in such high heels - in between periods of writing. Practicing in heels has the added benefit of getting me up and moving every twenty minutes or so, something I really need to be doing as it is so easy to become absorbed in your work and find you’ve sat hunched up for hours on end. Our high heel challenge lifts me out of that unhealthy rut. @higherheels I am also deeply impressed by your 800m walk in 12cm stilettos, all the more so after my practice session this morning! @mlroseplant It is curious, but nice, that we take things seriously enough to want to walk well in our heels. And sometimes that does mean treating it as a sport that you go somewhere to practice

Yes! I love boot season - which I somehow manage to extend to all year round! Another night of clear skies snd low temperatures coming up, another early morning in heavy suede OTK boots! Perfect. congratulations on the successful outing in the 12cm Louboutins! That’s great! I can imagine that after practicing in the Hot Chicks you would definitely find the Pigalle’s a bit easier. I know I’ve really noticed the difference practicing in my 12cm heels makes when I put on my 10cm boots. Even just wearing them on the boat is making a definite difference

Very true! I’ve been trying to think of where I can go to get some real world practice in my challenge heels. The nearest place is a park about a mile and a half away from where I’m moored - a distance and time commitment that is a serious disincentive. I can practice here in the boat - about 15 paces each way, back and forth - until I get enough fluency not to look stupid elsewhere

It’s definitely been stolen from me as well

I’m think more along the lines of AI taking nearly jobs, the rank and file all receiving universal basic income and living at subsistence level with no prospect for change, while the billionaire class rules the world.

There are so many scary ramifications to this. I see it ultimately as a means of controlling society in ways that humanity has never experienced before

Impressively high for what amounts to a 1.2km - ¾ mile - walk! But to borrow a phrase from a dong near to my heart, those heels look made for walking. You should see the towpath here - most unsuited for walking, even in Vibram soled hiking boots. Fortunately I have some very nice knee high boots with sturdy soles and low heels so I can keep up my style for tall boots. And on the cold mornings, such as today - down to freezing with thick ice firming on the boat - I have my heavy suede OTK boots with 8cm heels. Love these!

I can understand the appeal. It’s seductive. But ultimately it is going to be very, very harmful and there may be no way back.

That’s impressive - a 600m walk in week in your challenge height heels. I’d love to go for such a stroll in mine, but I’m really struggling to find a place. We had two inches of rain last night and now the towpath is unpleasant even in heavy Vibram soled hiking books.

I simply boycott it. AI is just wrong on so many levels. Dud you know Amazon now has a limit of three books a day one is allowed to publish through them - three a day! - because of the sheer tonnage of AI rubbish being churned out. And at least two of my titles have been used to train AI - with no benefit to me. And what is so great about endless AI produced royalty free images? I’m a photographer. - there is nothing good about it at all, especially since my work has been pirated and used to train AI. i see nothing good whatsoever to come from or out of AI

I’ve been lured away into mid-heels. Very heavy rains and temperatures down to 4°C have prompted me to dig out my heavy suede OTK boots with chunky 8cm heels. They are lovely and warm and very appealing on nippy mornings in the boat. We’re at that tricky transitional point in the year when it’s nippy enough in the mornings to want warm boots but not quite nippy enough for me to want to start the coal fire - yet. The daytime temperatures are a pleasant 15°C or so. i can change into my stilettos in the afternoon

I suspect I’ll find it challenging to find the “right” pair of sandals as I too am very picky about appearance, comfort and quality. Boots I know and understand. I’ve always worn boots, going back to a childhood in the mountains where hiking boots came to be a kind of personal trademark - something that distinguished me from the other kids in my class, with their natty town shoes. I’ve had this bias ever since and been fortunate that my choice of career allowed me to avoid wearing both neckties and brogues!

You make shorts presentable, although I just don’t wear them myself - other than for cycling or to the gym. It’s always jeans for me and I usually manage to find a reason to extend boot season to year round, something that’s not really too hard to do in the north of England. I will say though, that you do make sandals look appealing - enough so that I am contemplating investing in a pair if I can find something nice in my size

Exactly. I agree, I do think there is community out there who would happily join and contribute if they knew about us, and understood that we simply wear heels as a point of fashion.