HappyinHeels

maninboots,

I think some of us have written about this before. Here in the United States and Canada there are laws governing how one presents themselves and the options they have for using public facilities. I think what happened to you at the store is pretty close to how it would go here. Using a changing room is one thing whilst using say a restroom is quite another. The more convincing you look then the easier it is on anyone seeing you and the less of an issue it becomes. Some stores such as Target have specific policies aimed at being very GLBTQ-friendly so men trying on women's clothes in their changing areas is just not an issue. The entire state of California, and cities such Seattle, Dallas, Houston, and Boston have ordinances directing city government and businesses to treat transgendered persons, or persons reasonably attired as such, to be treated equally under the law. I think it comes down to just how much one  blends in. Trying on shoes is easy since no changing room is involved but when one tries on shoes while trying to coordinate an outfit that is a bit different. I seem to have a feel for it. Some stores I have tried on things in the changing rooms and other times I just did the best eyeball-fit in the mirror job I could. I have never had to return anything that I didn't actually try on. I am always cognizant of where the line is and don't want to make someone else visibly uncomfortable. The more you are out the more you will get a feel  for it. I do think if you are wearing heels or carrying a handbag or otherwise wearing some more feminine articles it puts out a more welcoming vibe.  There is another option. Go to a store and pick some men's pants or shirts along with some women's outfits. Go to the men's changing area and try the women's stuff there. No hassle and you'll know for sure if you have a good fit. Whatever doesn't fit you just put back. I do agree though that allowing biological women to feel as comfortable as possible in their own space is really important in a retail store situation. If you look like you belong there probably will not be an issue. If you don't belong you'll find out fast. I hope this makes sense. HappyinHeels 

Bonjour Pierre1961,

Et voici la nouvelle mode! And so is born a new look! It is compelling for sure so keep going. Bien faite. HinH

Nice photos Cadu. You live in a big country and I am curious in which city and state. You can message me in English or Portuguese if you like. Obrigado. HinH

C O N T E S T

KneeBooted,

That looks like it will work well for you and really should blend in. I see you appear well and are not living in a van as I've read a number of tech people are doing. I sure hope all the finance numbers work out for you and your wife in your new surroundings.  Keep hitting your stride!  HinH

B U F F A L O

balletboot,

I see you were able to wear pumps to a Panera close to you so I think you do not live in a remote part of the state. I know many areas away from the coast get over 90"/229cm of snow a winter which would not seem conducive to anything but heavy boots. I'll bet you felt great wearing those pumps to a restaurant. Were you alone or accompanied?? Thnaks for posting your photos all the while. HinH

Wearing 5" heels to the waffle house in North Carolina! The South really has been changing. Glad to see you got filled up while wearing your best heels. Keep up the good work! HinH

Have you thought of looking in thrift stores?? You'll find styles, and heights, from a few years back and at a much lower price. Plus buying used clothing reduces your environmental impact which is something I am always looking at. I'm way ahead of the Golden State in that regard and I'm not even a liberal. It just makes more sense to use and reuse. You should see the size of our home recyclables compared to our garbage, it is easily 3-1 by volume which is the goal of recycling. I recycle all our our aluminum, copper, stainless steel, batteries, and brass but then again I was always a scrapper. When it comes to clothes the numbers are staggering. Close to half of all clothes in the United States wind up in the landfill within 7 years of purchase. If that's not feeding the beast I don't know what is. About 80% of the clothes I have bought have come from thrift stores or estate sales or garage sales over the last three years. Some of my heels have come from the same sources but not in the same ratios. I'm looking to change that.Just a thought on how you might find higher heels which fit. HappyinHeels

Cali is so well-established in his corner of the world that he may actually ANGER people by not wearing his heels. Sort of like a person brews really tasty coffee and people come to expect it. People are expecting to be entertained by whatever Cali has on his feet so I imagine does not want to disappoint them. HinH

TallanSexy,

Welcome to our forum and a nice way to debut by posting a photo! I've been on this forum just about ten years now, tried on my first heels in 1971 and bought my first pair in 1978. I have been wearing them openly in more and more places for the last 15 years. As to the wants and desires and psychology of it all I believe "HiStiletto" above me here has explained it quite well. For some of us, including me, there is another facet to this and that is age. You reach a point where you have gathered enough life experience and just don't give a crap about what an anonymous stranger may think or say. One thing I have always hammered through is we all have a limited engagement on Earth so we should set about to enjoying the time we have here while possessing the health and finances to do it. Again, welcome aboard the heel train. HappyinHeels

W R O U G H T

K A N S A S (there's no place like home!)

As p1ng74 points out we are real people but scattered around. Each individual, though nearly always alone, must approach life surrounded by confidence built within one's own soul. That confidence allows one to step out and greet the world on one's own terms and not those of others. If later one gets to meet another of our members then the self-confidence has already been established and perhaps a lasting friendship can ensue. I have written before that trying to meet some of our members is a worthwhile goal. What makes meeting other like-minded heelwearers an enjoyable experience is fellowship or the very essence of the human condition. To share a moment in time with common interests. I have personally met three of our members and found each of them quite different from myself and yet similar enough that I want to see each of them again.  It is another tile in the rich mosaic of life. HappyinHeels

Yes, the Midwest is firmly in winter's grip. We have had regular snows in Wisconsin and the state is snow-covered border to border. I have been cutting some messy black willow trees making firewood for next winter and what I have cut so far is drying nicely because of the cold.

I'm not surprised by your heel reports from Vietnam. Latin America is much the same. I don't think heels at 5" or more ever went out of style across most of Latin America based upon what I have seen over the last ten years or so. 

We had a Japan Air flight (#010) at O'Hare Airport direct from Tokyo's Narita Airport when I worked there. It arrived in the 0800-0900 timeframe and I believe it still does. Good reputation. Officers in our agency going to Asia raved about how good Korean Airlines was.

Have a good trip back to Iowa. HappyinHeels

I limited my scope to the United States. Sure, Australia would have some gold-medal-winning places for being remote given the layout of the country/continent. Now Canada I am quite familiar with and the mind-boggling distances involved especially north of 52 north latitude in 2/3rds of the country. There are places where signs indicate distances in excess of 1000 km to the next major place. That's probably why satellite functions on phones are much more utlised there. I would think Australia may be similar. The most thing I seem to remember about Australia is a stretch of railroad which runs absolutely straight for an insane distance. Crossing Australia must be something akin to crossing the Gobi Desert in China close to the Mongolia border or crossing Siberia. HinH

C H A R I S M A

Southern Ohio I could understand but Heelster lives in the northern third of the state and that's the part that has my head spinning. I don't doubt what he says, he lives there after all. My suggestion now is to make one or two trips a year to Columbus and really make it worth the while owing to one less choice in his area. I doubt many people here though have lived in really remote areas of the USA. When I worked the border in Arizona we drove 150 miles to Phoenix, or sometimes Tucson also 150 miles distant, to do our bi-weekly shopping. I installed a 40-ft antenna to bring tv stations the 135 miles as the crow flies to our house. We were beyond the range of fm radio stations and most am radio stations on the US side of the border.  We made that trek to Phoenix every two weeks for nearly three years before moving back to the Midwest in 1992. Beautiful desert area but very remote indeed. I guess it's a relative degree of isolation. HappyinHeels

P I T T S B U R G H

L I N E A R

Heelster,

It's hard for me to wrap my head around anywhere in northern Ohio being that remote but maybe I'm mistaken. Ohio is not so big a state that the capital city of Columbus can't be reached within two hours which is headquarters for DSW. There's also a Nordstrom Rack in the Eaton Center on the east side of the city. I noticed the same decline in heel heights at various Payless locations and an overall increase in uninspiring and boring-looking footwear. Cali makes a great point, which cannot be overstated, that trying them in-person, is much more satisfying than trying to guess what will fit online only to have to return them later. Rather than six or seven trips to your closest Payless or Walmart (yuck) I think you'll find one or two trips per year to Columbus may actually work out better. Save that overtime cash!  HappyinHeels

I know it's too much. When I get around to it I'll ask a simple question; "Have I worn these anywhere in the last two years?" If the answer is no then I'll either sell them if they're still in a box or donate them if not in a box. I've done with other things and been able to thin out things over the years. HinH

I was pretty sure what he meant. If I were to conduct a shoe count I'd probably divide it as follows: Wedges, sandals, pumps, ankle boots, and knee boots. Thigh-high would not be included as there are none. I have no flat shoes so ALL shoes are high heels in my world for now. I estimate I have around 160-175 pairs. I probably should do it just to get a handle on what to sell. HinH

D A R I N G

C L A S S I C