kikepa

I think he sort of spoiled the response when he lead by saying, "I know this is weird..."

http://www.polyvore....hing?id=1098810

I need a pair of these in size 7 UK. Please can you help.

Have you tried Pierre Silber? They have severak vert similar styles.

Have you guys noticed that the same 30 or 35 people are posting, maybe less. What happened to all the other people.

Typical message forum dynamics. There's always a small core group and a larger fringe contingent, and many times more folks who rarely if ever show at all.

The right type of cushioned insoles will do wonders.

I guess it not only depends on the country, but also where you are within a certain country.

I live in Germany - in a small town. You don't see anyone wearing anything that isn't "standard". Kilts for men? Heels? No way. Acceptance? I would rather say that people in general won't confront you or will shout anything. Most of the time. My hairdresser (she) said something along "whatever floats your boat", but liked my wedge heeled boots and asked where I got them.

Even in the larger city that's closer to me, I've never seen a guy walking in heels. Again, most people don't care or might even not notice it because they are too busy with their own life/shopping/whatever.

A city where probably ANY type of clothing is possible is Berlin. But then again, I don't want to move just to be able to wear what I want. Besides... being able to wear anything isn't always the best sign of being in a stylish city. Trendy yes, but stylish ... don't know.

In UK, I think London is similar... but when you move to the countryside, it's probably the same as in any other European country.

If you want to wear heels, just go ahead, no matter whether you are in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, UK or some other country. You shouldn't worry too much about what other people are saying. If I had always followed what other people were telling me, I wouldn't be where I am today - that is meant quite positive.

London, N.Y., San Francisco, Berlin, New Orleans, Seattle... I've been to them all, and all are fairly accepting of differences, but not all parts of them. Ever city has areas you should avoid, regardless of what you're wearing, but particularly if you're standing out. Similarly, I've come across dozens of other areas, even rural ones, where it was nothing special to see guys in kilts or other alternative clothing. Heels, not so much, but it's out there.

In Belgium, Antwerp is a becoming somewhat of a fashion center, but seemed fairly straight-laced when I visited. Bruges is the place that I've seen let their hair down. Lots of festivals, and that usually goes hand in hand with a more relaxed, accepting lifestyle. Those are the only two places I've been.

I like Steve63130's comments.

Those are awesome looking boots! Man I wish my feet weren't so big!

I'm wearing a pair from Payless that look almost identical to your avatar, Stilletto2004. They're my current favorites!

I gave up hose for tights years ago, and no, I don't wear either during warmer months. In the winter, however, all the time.

Brad Pitt and I have a lot in common. Nearly the same age, and we share common ancestry: "Irish-Scots-Germans who settled in the area... I know we have some Seminole, and some Cherokee Indian, in us." Cherokee, yes. Seminole, no. I'm also about four inches taller than he.

I have two pair of flat-heeled women's boots. They're the only women's shoes I wear outside my home on a regular basis. No one has a clue that they're women's boots, as I wear them under my jeans. I have a pair of medium-heeled (2-1/2") boots, too, and since they're block heels, people just assume it's a retro 70's thing.

I have a couple of dozen pairs that I need to get rid of. I'm sort of a pack rat. I should put them on eBay, as they're in near-new condition. Don't know why I haven't got around to it.

I tend to wear my boots over skinny jeans or leggings, but do have a short black leather mini skirt that I wear when I feel like showing off (to myself!)

At home, I'm almost always wearing either a skirt or an ankle-length jumper. I'm part Scott, so open garments seem to suit me.

Generally my boot wearing has roller coastered - buying new boots and wearing them in secret for months or years but then then having a pang of guilt and selling them or throwing them away! Each time I got through a 'down' I tell myself its wrong to wear boots and that I have to stop it. However in reality I always come back to wearing and loving them - often spending a load of money on new boots to make up for lost time!

My heel wearing has always been completely in private and secret, however I have recently confided in a friend which has given me a new confidence and perspective on heeling and lead to me joining this site. So I guess I am back in the buy buy buy phase!

If you feel like you must throw them away, just put them in a box, tape it, and put it with all the other boxes in the garage or attic. Might not keep your significant other from finding them, but at least you'll keep your investments.

I did the purging thing during the first twenty or so years of heeling. Five times. I wish I hadn't, as I lost the best pair of leather pumps, leather boots, and sandals I ever had. But when the wife (now ex) flipped her lid, it was either her or the heels. I chose her. She wound up leaving anyway (throws hands up in the air and sighs). Fortunately, it was *only* about twenty pairs over the years, so call it around $1,000. These days I have three favorites, which I wear all the time while at home, and often while driving. I usually change out when meeting with friends, as they'd probably not continue to be friends if I didn't. They're good people, but conservatives, so that's just life. We all make the choices we need to make. I'd rather keep a secret and the friends I have than let it out and loose my friends.

Lot of talk about beer... My favorite: Sam Adams.

Here is a funny thing I get more negative comments when wearing my football clubs shirt than when I am ot and about in heels. (For those not from the UK, we have a history of a very small amount of football fans going to matches purely to fight, but this is 20 years ago.) I am instictively considered a trouble maker and people fear me or look down on me as a ignorant thug with low intelligence.

It's amazing how the actions of a few extremists can give a bad name to the whole lot. I've never pictured as one of the extremists, though, so you have my understanding and support!

The point, as others have made is that some people judge you no matter what you wear so a negative vibe is always likely but overall a man in heels draws no issues. I am still surprised by how little they react and I wear heels very regularly. Ok I don't wear pink 5'' stilettos but they are clearly heels and little or no negative comment ever comes my way.

I think that may be that while a minority here are extremists, we're not out getting into fights about it. Society has grown up over the years. Where we used to barely be able to tolerate differences, these days we're able to tolerate most differences, provided people don't step over the line and actually bring harm to others.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my direction in life. I've been trying to change it, but it's been difficult.

I hope I'm doing this right. Some differences with the new sofware still has me puzzled.

Check this out..

FreshinHeels, on 19 August 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

What you mean there with having more liberty in the US than a lot of European nations?

Ok compared Serbia or Albania yes I understand.

But Denmark, Sweden or The Netherlands I don't see that.

Offcourse I can miss things

People dont realize whats been taken away.

Ok. I think that ^ will work.

A year ago, along with a few dozen others here in town, I hosted a young gent from Sweden who was visiting America. Other folks from all over the world were also in town. Throughout the week we got together on a regular basis, including two dinners and an afternoon visiting the local area.

They were amazed at the fact that I carry a firearm. In their countries that's rather unheard of, if not illegal. I didn't do it to impress them. I've simply carried one for the better part of 25 years. Never had to use it, and hope I never do. A lot of folks here in America carry mace, but when I visited Canada twenty years ago, I had to leave even that at the border.

I think they were more amazed by the fact that around here, none of the locals cared. Just one tourist from Chicago, whose eyes grew very large when she saw my firearm. Sometimes I think Chicago and New York are like whole other countries... Not in a bad way, just different, and I mean no disrespect. When it comes to their laws regarding firearms, however, I just don't get it.

ilikekicks said, "people don't realize what's been taken away." I find that both wonderful and interesting, coming from him, as he lives in New York, where anti-gun laws are somewhat extreme.

By the way, I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread. Unexpected, but I think a welcome addition to this forum.

I admit that at the age of 54 I seldom run anymore let alone in heels.

How about the rest of you? Do you/can you run in your Stilettos without something unfortunate happening?

Ciao!

Anita :

I could run in four-inch heels, but would probably incur some damage. I do a lot of walking/hiking, both for fun and health, but not in heels -- not exactly practical here in Colorado... Even on flat terrain, however, if I'm going to cover any amount of distance, it won't be in heels. I have walked to my mailbox a few times in heels...

Fortunately women don't read thesis before to buy the latest fashion trend...

Lol! I think you nailed it.

There are so many negative repercussions of violating societal norms that no, I would not encourage my children to do so. I would always, however, love them for who they are, and stand by their choices, within reason.

I'd like to amend this a bit...

If my children ever had any inclinations as we do, yes, I'd support them. When I said I wouldn't encourage them, I simply meant I would not push them in this direction. Love and support them? Of course! Hugely.

I have achilles tendonitis in my left heel. The heels allow me to walk without pain. My research lead me to heel inserts for my shoes along with stretches and exercises. As I had a couple pairs of heels already on hand, I gave that a try instead of buying a set of lifts. That was 3 months ago. I am now able to wear 2 inch heels without pain and sometimes can do short jaunts in trainers or barefoot.

And yes i did see a doctor. She did advise that I should wear lower heels, I was wearing 3 inch heels at the time, to work out the tendon. She also recommended the exercises that I was already doing.

-Nikki

That's almost always an injury associated with overuse. I've had it twice, back when I was young. Dr. Shoe might know more.

I agree with your assessment of the fit for many heels, that being the feeling of being on the heel and the ball of the foot with nothing in between. I have that feeling with nearly every pair of heels I've owned, and the more pronounced it is, the more uncomfortable the shoe. It always feesl much better on the foot when there is at least some support in the arch area. I think some manufacturers are adresssing that situation in womens shoes, but it has yet to reach the point of common. I had one pair of heels with the Insolia design (you can search Insolia on the web if you're not sure what that is all about) and they did a much better job of support and weight distribution. Would have liked to see that design catch on better than it has.

Thank you for the info on "Insolia!" I'll look that up.

I'm not sure why women's shoe designers can't get it right. Perhaps women's feet are built differently from men's, but I don't think that's it, as a number of gals I've known have complained about the same issue as Ron and I are talking about. I think it might be that in general, they're just lighter on their feet than we are, so they may not notice it or complain about it as much.

Meanwhile, the best and most supportive pair of sandals I own is by A. Marinelli. The curve is perfect! I wish were into making boots...

I alway throught it was unsafe to drive whist wearing heels. What do you think.

Really? Oh, goodness! I've driven in heels loads of times, usually four inchers, and for the better part of 30 years. I prefer it, and whenever on a long trip while driving by myself, I still do. Never a worry.

Back in school, in the 80's, long before I would ever dare step outside wearing heels, I'd step into either my pair of blue or white pumps and would cross a third of the United States of America in heels. I'd take them off (switch to sneakers) when I'd stop for gas, but that was all.

I don't think we necessarily have to change the world. We just have to change our world view and realize that no matter what we wear, there will be people who will applaud us and those who would scorn us. You'll never please them all, so stop trying. Just wear what you want, aim to please yourself, and if there are others in your life who are affected, communicate with them and let them understand where you're coming from. If there is conflict, do your best to work it out. It may take time (took me 20 years for my wife to come around to approval and support) so be prepared to take baby steps and go slowly. But don't wait to start the journey. We don't get younger as time goes by.

Steve

Wise words, Steve. You know, thinking about it, if I were to step out in heels, I might get some derision. Probable less than I expect, though. Heck, when I started wearing a firearm a couple of years ago, I thought I'd get a huge amount of feedback. Result? Most folks have been very appreciative of the fact that I carry, and I get together with a local group that supports our 2A rights.

Back to wearing heels in public. I haven't done so in a while. I do so all the time at home. Just haven't outside my front door. Perhaps this is just what I'm comfortable with, now.

Apart from fake parts even make-up is ok for a guy.If you present yourself as a guy no matter what you wear you are a freestyler.Nowadays there are marketed for women even the most male/masculine looking items/apparel - and still there are many women who still wear direct male apparel - and unlike us,they have female analog of the item.So why should it be for men otherwise?

I think you make a good point. I think it goes back to why women are women, and why men are men. There really is something about the differences between our sexes. Yet our society has fully accepted women crossing that line, yet still rejects, mostly, men from doing so.

Still, if a woman were to appear in a very masculine tux and loafers, it would turn heads. It's more of a "fashion statement," but she can get away with it. When we guys try to wear heels, people start throwing lables at us, like transvestic fetishism. I've been so labled, even though I very rarely head out in public wearing anything other than jeans, a shirt, and either sneakers or hiking shoes.

I would have to discourage you trying this. You must also be made aware that hormones are extremely powerful substances that effect a person both physically and mentally. Well after puberty the effects are more mental than physical and they are not without risks. I wouldn't recommend them unless you plan on transitioning. You could get much more than you bargained for.

I concur. As a male heel and skirt wearer, I've thought about transitioning many times, and have attendended some groups for that purpose. I haven't gone down that road for a variety of reasons, most notably family. Mom, Dad, and kids. And myself. I just don't know if I'm ready to, yet, or even if I'll ever be ready to do so.

If I ever am, I would very much like it to be when I am. Meanwhile, I may wear heels, skirts and dresses at home, but I drop that before I step through my front door. I still feel very much like a man out there, regardless of how I feel about myself on the inside.

Yet, as I type this, I'm wearing skirt and 4" heels.

Go figure. I think that's sort of, kind of why we're here, huh?

Are you convinced that worrying about your needs is the right way to go about it? I know that when I was younger I wanted him to show how interested he was in me. If I loved him I'd have hung by my heels from a top floor window if that's what he liked. But that's just me.

Oh dear, I'm going to get requests now, aren't I?

Well, if they're for friendship, would that be a bad thing?

I just like wearing heels, as do most of us.

Formula One drivers can (and do) still have fun in ordinary road cars.

Reminds me of the many times I did 360s in the snow.

Benno, are/were you an F1 driver? I've learned a number of us live one the edge. We're sort of out there, but we're still very caring people. My GF said of me recently, "you sometimes scare me, but I love you, definitety!"

When I first joined HHPlace all those many years ago, I was elated to have discovered like-minded men of all ages like myself who enjoy wearing high heeled shoes. By reading all the many posts by the members here, absorbing their adventures of wearing women's shoes, both in public and in private gave me the courage and the strength to wear heels openly, and that opened a whole new world to me, one I found extremely exciting. In the beginning, I was perfectly content to just wear the shoes, nothing more, but that mindset has clearly changed as an evolution of sorts has taken place.

The bulky block heels I started wearing were replaced by thinner and thinner heels, eventually swapped out for stilettos while I grew into wearing taller heights, when I didn't gove over two inches, today, I'm perfectly comfortable in five inchers, but that wasn't all. After several years of wearing men's clothes with my shoes on my adventures, I began changing, having slowly arrived at the conclusion that such clothes wasn't enough to satisfy me. It began with the bottoms as I replaced men's jeans with women's jeans which looked nicer and sleeker with my heels, and I loved how they looked on me. Next came the tops as I went from men's shirts and sweaters to women's shirts and sweaters, and I was comfortable with that as they also looked nicer on me, and I made the declaration that I would only wear women's clothes on my adventures, and, yes, that included underwear as well and jewelry too.

Finally, the skirts. When I first wore a skirt in public back in the summer of 2008, that proved to be an incredibly exciting and exhilarating experience, and I was effectively hooked. Back then, I only wore skirts infrequently as I still enjoyed jeans, today, I'm wearing skirts almost exclusively as I can't bring myself to wear anything else as all my jeans are in the back of my closet, and I'm in no hurry to bring them back out. On top of that, the shoes, which were once the be all and end all for me has become just one part of my overall image as a freestyler, hell, I've even come to like wearing flats because they're nice shoes to wear with a denim skirt as part of an overall casual weekend outfit. In the past, I thought first about the shoes and what clothes to wear with them, today, I think first about skirts and what shoes to wear with them, that's how much I've evolved, that the shoes come second.

This raises an important question: Does my current philosophy as a fashion freestyler mean I've evolved beyond the tenets of high heel love as exposed here at HHPlace? For me, it's all about the complete head to toe image I present when I go out in public, not just the shoes, and I don't see that mindset changing anytime soon, if at all. I won't deny there are times when I feel more comfortable in a public setting in a skirt than I do in heels, I find that an interesting concept as my evolution has continued. Where will this lead me? Will I leave HHPlace? Nope! I still enjoy being a member and sharing my exploits with others here and reading the opinions of everyone. Nor does this mean I'm not going opt for wigs, fake boobs and makeup, far from it, I'm going to continue wearing the clothes, and shoes that I love----as a man, and that's good enough for me. That's all that I want.

For me, it's all about evolution. Everyone must evolve or perish, and for me, going from just shoes to the joys of free styling has been my evolution, and I can't wait to see where my unique journey will take me next as I continue to grow in my special passion. Opinions?

Jeff, you've been a huge inspiriation to all of us. I'll take this one step at a time, but I'll cut to the chase. Today I spent most of my life in 4" heels, and spend most of my time in a jeans skirt. It's just comfortable.