jazzymj

Many high heeled congratulations!!! I look forward to an account of your next outing. -MJ

They know. They're cool with it. They like the idea of breaking down barriers. -MJ

That's sure one way to look at it. Strictly a ittsy, bittsy, teenie weenie minority view, the way current society views it.

I'm a smidgen more optimistic than that. I'm sure that there's a small crowd that favors my view, and about three times as many who favor an opposing view, but I think the vast majority of people are neutral and with the persuasion of a positive example can be swayed.

-MJ

These are all valid concerns but what if you're selling your neighbors and friends short? They might see you in heels for what you are. A man who is confident in his masculinity, willing to think outside the box, and able to walk the walk on both counts.

I think it's important to remember that when a man wears heels, he isn't engaged in perverse or deviant behavior. Instead, he's taking one big step after another toward correcting a social imbalance.

If men and women are truly equal then we should be able to borrow from each other's wardrobe tendencies to create our own unique sartorial identities.

-MJ

Howdy,

You know, I am starting to figure that out. The obstacle really is within me.

I think the inner obstacle currently looks to me like, "Where do I go to do this?" My wife runs into people she knows everywhere we go. Even vacations in other states she runs into people she knows. Phoenix and all the suburbs is a big place and the only places where we don't know people are basically in the ghetto where I don't particularly care to start walking around in heels in those locations.

Sorry about the rant :-). I just keep running the possibilities around in my head and need to just settle on something. I was thinking about maybe in a park. Heck, I don't know.

See ya,

Larry

Indeed, except for the "nose-to-the-grindstone-years" I've always used Halloween as a total dress up day. In the past, I've worn catsuits, but I may have to something with heels this year. The wheels are turning!

-MJ

Hi Jazzymj!

Was away for a few days Up North and away from technology. The time I wore my Sunset Strip platform sandals with the 8.5" stiletto heels was to a Halloween party and I wore an ABS metallic gold v-neck minidress, my mid-length Zury brunette wigs with blonde highlights, a gold Seiko dress watch, 3" hoop earrings, acrylic nails painted a metallic red and matching toes, basic foundation and make-up, eyeshadow, and an ankle bracelet but then again it was a Halloween party, always THE event to show off your shoes and your clothes!

Wow! Those are amazing. Definitely something to aim for!!

-MJ

Oh, 12' heel height

http://www.imakebootsngloves.com/albums/album_image/6566831/5164414.htm

Congrats AZ! I hope your first steps are the beginning of many. I was initially very nervous about my friends and neighbors reaction but it has been universally positive. And I don't mean just a few bohemians, but everyone from kids at the nearby high school to senior citizens sitting on the curb. It's made me realize that the obstacles to wearing heels aren't in others but in myself. I hope you pursue heeling aggressively! -MJ

Hi Jazzymj!

Am curious if you wear those 7-8" platforms in guy mode or as a girl or a mixture?? NYC is full of intersting people and stories and am curious what your experience has been. I also love that height of heel and last wore an 8.5" heel platform to a Halloween party. You're right about posture, when as a girl, I try my best to do it all; eat and sit like a girl, smoke like a girl, walk and carry things like a girl, and of course, praise others on their shoes and boots like a girl would.

I always wear my heels in "guy" mode, long slacks and a shirt of some sort or another. Probably because I'm broad shouldered, big and athletic, I've never given much thought to complete cross-dressing just integrating footwear and other elements like leggings and catsuits into a masculine repertoire.

What else did you did wear with your 8.5inch heels?

-MJ

I'm somewhat unusual even in this midst as these are the first pair of high heels that I learned how to walk in. I just assumed that the (ahem) steep learning curve entailed in mastering them was part of the high heeled process. It took several months of wearing these seven inch slides at home for first minutes then hours at a time before I hit the streets, and when I did, my NYC neighbors were nearly universal in their acclaim.

I took a five year break from heeling while I worked 24/7 at getting my career and finances back in order. To celebrate that achievement, I bought another pair; and after a bit of practice, I've begun wearing them out again. I love the attention and the feeling of wearing 8 inch heels. I find that to wear them properly requires rigorous attention to posture and alignment. I don't just feel longer, I feel thinner. Also walking in shoes with a nearly four inch platform requires attention to detail, as NYC sidewalks can be treacherous even in sneakers.

Wearing them becomes a statement that I'm in the moment. And my desire to wear them as often as possible becomes motivation to take care of my most pressing worries so I can relegate them to the back of my mind and put my best foot forward.

-MJ

I know to some its not a big thing.

But what have you done to get the courage to go out in your heels?

I've loved all the responses in this thread, and thought I'd add mine.

First it is a big thing. The pressures of conformity in our society are immense. It always takes courage to overcome them.

First of all, I concur with everyone that you need to reach a point in walking indoors that it is entirely second nature to you. Sometimes I even do exercises where I try to balance on one high heeled foot and shift my weight around to test the breadth of my physical comfort zone.

The mental aspect will always be a challenge, but consider what's happened with me and my NYC neighbors. I've gone out in heels about six times in recent weeks, and people I know were THRILLED and very supportive. In fact, some of them, even voice disappointment now when they see me in "flats."

It could just be that I live around a bunch of crazy NYers, but I suspect that spirit isn't simply a province of this island. It might pervade yours too.

-MJ

just need a bit of advice on how to avoid injuring myself. the reason i am asking is that i am going to be doing a 5 mile walk for charity in 7.5'' heels (Pleaser XTC826). i have never worn heels in my life unless you count when i was in primary school in the 1970's when i had a pair of mens 4 inch platforms (i used to play football in them). i just need a bit of advice on foot excercise etc. should i wear stockings or not. i have been told to wear them as i am likely to have blisters without them

I second all the advice in previous posts, and reiterate: practice, practice, practice.

I'd see if you can find a training schedule for running a 10K and create a parallel one for walking in heels. In other words, you need to get comfortable walking in them first indoors, then on pavement for a little more each time. Hopefully by early August, you will be able to walk two-three miles in them so that five is a strain but not something that will result in injury.

Another thing you might want to pursue is a fitness class in balletic alignment, or pilates core training. Ballet dancers hold their weight in their core rather than letting gravity sinking it into your ankles and unusually extended feet. The core training will accustom you to bearing more of your weight with your abdominal muscles and that will put less stress on your legs and lower extremities.

Lastly, don't take the walk as a lark; one false step and you risk significant injury via a fall; poor alignment for a long period of time in heels will get you a hefty bill from your chiropractor. The fact that you have an athletic background can help you; what you're attempting this summer is a major athletic feat. You should prepare accordingly.

Good luck and please keep the forum posted on your progress!

-MJ

When you start with the leggings, be careful -- you'll get hooked, as I have. I now own six pairs - three solid (black, blue, red), two "shiny" (silver, gold) and one pattern (zebra). And that started from just the black pair! I only started wearing them three weeks ago, so to have six pairs means I must like them a lot.

Oh, I know what you mean. I was into leggings and even catsuits before I was into heels. Right after experiencing leggings for the first time, I went on a binge shopping for them and quickly integrated them into my wardrobe. I stopped some years ago, but now I look forward to merging leggings and heels.

-MJ

I voted for 7inch or higher because I have no experience in heels lower than six inches. Although I've been fascinated with heels for years and even wrote a paper in applied anatomy class on the alignment adjustments required for heels, I never really considered wearing them. Then one day I ordered a pair of 7.5 inch heels (three inch platform) for a bookshelf and bought the largest size they had so that they would be as prominent as possible. When they arrived I realized that I might fit into them, and I did, but I couldn't walk.

Long story short, they never made it to the bookshelf. I spent the next several weeks teaching myself to walk in them. Within months I was walking around the neighborhood in them and on New Year's Eve that year, I spent nearly 8 hours in another pair of comparable height.

Then I stopped for a few years to while I engaged in a 24/7 marathon work jag get my personal economy back together. I celebrated its renewed good standing by buying a pair of 8.5 inch shoes. They felt great. After a few weeks of practice around my apartment, I began wearing them outside. Monday afternoon I took two trips around the neighborhood and enjoyed the accomplished feeling and the acclaim of both my neighbors and the high school students from a nearby school.

I dream of being able to wear them all the time, but I keep reminding myself that this is NYC. The streets and sidewalks aren't ideal. One momentary lapse of attention could result in injury. OTOH, that plus the wonderful commentary in this community makes me eager to investigate lower high heels.

-MJ

I voted pants and heels as that's what I wear. I hope to start pairing leggings and heels soon. I'd like to integrate skirts into my wardrobe but I haven't considered wearing them with heels yet. -MJ

Congratulations!!! I bet you two are going to have a great time heeling together. The pair from Fredericks is fantastic. -MJ

I voted for show off. I'm proud of the fact that I can take short trips in my neighborhood in seven and eight inch heels. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I yearn to have more free time so that I can build up my heeling endurance to take longer trips and perhaps wear skyscrapers all day and go anywhere in them. -MJ

Very well done! Bravo!! -MJ

I enjoy wearing heels for many reasons. There is a feminine feeling that I enjoy but I tend to think that it's a universal feeling that is coded as feminine because of the limited emotional territory that men are supposed content themselves with. There is definitely a comfort factor in that I love my alignment in heels and no other type of footwear force me to adhere to it so strictly. There's another factor. Wearing heels forces me into the moment. My mind doesn't wander off into next week or some concern about recent event. When I'm in heels I have to be right here right now, and I like that a lot. -MJ

I'd enjoy giving them a try. It would take a lot of practice but I'd enjoy the training! -MJ

Thanks Bubba 136, I'm happy to be here. And thanks for the tip on kneehighs. I look forward to browsing around the forum and finding other NYers. The term paper wasn't that big a deal; it was only five pages or so. The class was all about ways in which anatomical analysis can be applied in everyday life, and I passed the drag bar/restaurant, Stingy Lulus on the way home from class, so it came to mind quite easily. -MJ

Greetings from Lower Manhattan! I think I always loved heels, but came upon my first pair quite as an accident. Seven years ago, I was ordering a pair to use on a bookshelf and on a lark ordered the largest size. I had never thought seriously about wearing heels, even when I did a Applied Anatomy term paper on the effect of wearing heels (instead, I interviewed a friend who worked at a drag bar and routinely wore skyscraper heels). Then these shoes, white slides with 7.5 inch heels, arrived and I took one look and realized that they'd fit me. I put them on, rather excitedly and took one step and fell backwards onto my bed. Although I was a geek as a kid, I've been a good bit of gym rat as an adult taking lots of yoga and dance classes. So these heels became my new fitness challenge. I realized the changes I'd need in my alignment to wear them and within a few days, I had a new regimen. I'd put the heels on as I made coffee in the morning and leave them on until I couldn't maintain the proper alignment to wear them (and my back made it real clear when that was). Yet within weeks, I was wearing them for several hours at a time, but I was wary of going outside in them. While I was scrounging up the courage to wear them, I noticed that a repertory movie house/cafe (the late lamented Cinema Classics) was showing "Some Like it Hot." Perfect! Cinema Classics was about two blocks from me, which felt like a manageable distance, and since I was going to a 10:30 screening I had no fear of encountering kids and angering their parents. It was a blast. Others at the movie LOVED the heels. I hung out after the movie and had a drink with a few folks. By the time I made my exit, I could feel the fatigue, the effect of the alcohol, and it was starting to rain--the sidewalks looked a tad slick. Suddenly I was a little apprehensive and wished I'd carried a second pair of shoes. But no matter, I took a deep breath and walked home and found it increasingly easy. My body had completely adapted to the alignment and it was becoming second nature to scan the sidewalk closely for cracks and other dangers. I had received so much good response that I no longer worried about "what others will think." When I reached my building, I stumbled ever so slightly going in but I quickly regained my balance. The whole experience was a HUGE confidence booster. I live in a neighborhood where pretty much anything goes, so I assigned myself to take a walk around at least once a week. On my strolls I rarely heard a cross word and got tons of kudos from people I knew. Everybody really dug it, especially because I was still the same guy they saw sometimes in sneakers, jeans and an NFL hoodie. My high heel fetish was just another side of me. I was primarily self employed at the time but I wasn't making ends meet, so I took a job and began devoting a LOT of time to work and looking for work. I let the heeling phase go; in fact, I even let go of the dance and yoga classes. The 24/7 nose-to-the-grindstone routine worked. After four years I was out of debt and had restored myself to a mostly self employed self sufficient income. The yoga classes are back, the dance classes are on the agenda, and the weight that I gained is rapidly coming off. So it was time to go back to the heels. So far I've gone back to wearing the white slides and other similar skyscrapers around the house and occasionally for a late night stroll. My only hurdle now is making sure that my calves are loose enough to "pound the pavement for more than a block or two." Once I'm able to do that I feel like I could make heels part of wardrobe. After all, I'm blessed with open minded neighbors, and a body that can manage it. I look forward to reading more from the experiences of others in this forum. While I was "away" from heels, I thought deeply about them and realized that expanding masculinity is one of the next crucial identity frontiers. I think that everyone here is a pioneer and I look forward to the interaction. -MJ