Steve63130

If the heels are real leather, wearing them with thin nylon - opaque tights or sheer pantyhose, or just trouser socks or sheer knee highs - can help you break them in until they fit you well. If you can't find women's pantyhose to fit, or don't want to wear women's, search the internet for men's pantyhose and you'll find sources. It will take quite a few hours of wear for the leather to stretch this way, so be patient. I often soak leather shoes thoroughly in warm water for a few minutes and wear them stretched until they dry and conform to the shape of my feet (typically 6 hours or so). Yeah, I know, you might think that will ruin them, but it's never happened. First of all, the leather got wet plenty of times when the cow or goat wore it. Secondly, the adhesives and other materials used in shoe construction are made to be water resistant. I'm not advocating that you do this a lot, just the first time you wear them. From the next day on, they should fit great! If the heels are from manmade (or womanmade, more likely) materials, the above treatment won't work, or at least not as well. Synthetics like polyurethane will stretch and give eventually, but not as fast as real leather, so you might have to wear them a bit more until you get them to conform to the shape of your feet. Nylons will help. Plan on several days' wearing until they conform. Finally, I have used skin lotion many times and it has no ill effect on the shoes at all, but it sure makes them easy to slide on if you're barefoot. An alternative is talcum powder. The disadvantage of both of those techniques is that your foot can slide forward into the toebox and squeeze your toes together uncomfortably. The skin lotion I use was recommended to me by my dermatologist cousin (she knows of my heel passion and has seen me in heels). It is called LacHydrin Five and is fantastic for making rough skin smooth. It's pricey but works really well. Put some on your feet, put your heels on for an hour or so, and your feet will have smooth skin for the whole day. Use a pumice stone as needed to get the really hard skin off first. Hope that helps. Steve

Hey, you forgot: 5. ELOQUENT. Well stated! Steve

That settles it then! The next WHM should be at the good Doctor's storage unit! What better place? BWAHAHAHA Steve

When his wife kills him (for keeping secrets from her, not for wearing heels), his acid reflux won't matter any more! LOL Steve

The article is taken from the same source as the article in the Economist (another thread on here). I don't find 11 women a statistically valid population. 1100 maybe, but 11? Nah. Like most internet articles, there isn't much good science here. Steve

I'll be in Boston for a couple of nights, July 20-21. Any heelers want to meet up? I'll be at a hotel near Downtown Crossing, but won't have a car. PM me if you want to get together for drinks, dinner, coffee, or just to chat and get acquainted. I'm open to all, M or F, CDs, anyone. Steve

Mal, Good to hear that you're not nuts. Most of us knew that. While all the guys here on this forum may have various degrees of passion for high heels (some just like the look on women, some wear in secret, some wear discreetly in public, others are more bold) I don't think any of us are nuts. We're different, and there are a lot of us, so it's a pretty significant minority. I'm glad your psychologist agreed that you're ok, and that you don't have any serious problems. Where you go with this is up to you, of course, but if you're enjoying your lifestyle by clubbing in skirts, hose, and heels, it would be better to find a new gal that is ok with it. Your ex could adjust to your style, but only if she really wanted to, and it doesn't sound like there is much desire to do that. Don't get back with her just for the sake of your daughter. I doubt if that scenario will work successfully, and it may have a bad outcome for each of you. Steve

Going from 3.5" to 4.5" (not including any platform) is rather easy.

Well, not for everyone. I have found that 3" is my most comfortable heel height for walking in public. I can do 3.5 with some effort and concentration to maintain poise. Although I can stand in 4 and 4.5" heels ok, I admit I just can't walk gracefully, and I hate having to take tiny strides, plus I feel very self-conscious not walking smoothly. Perhaps with practice I could do it if I wanted, but I'm quite happy at 3 to 3.5".

My toes don't bend enough to go any higher than 4.5", and since I'm not interested in pain, I won't even try. A long time ago I bought some shoes with a 5" heel and couldn't wear them. I applaud anyone, male or female, who walks really well, with poise and graceful movements, in heels 4 inches high and higher. It's not for me.

Steve

It is a good idea always to give the Ebay seller the benefit of the doubt first. It is possible that the seller didn't know they were defective. If the seller handles lots of pairs of shoes every day, the seller might miss a detail like that on occasion. I sold a pair of new shoes on Ebay recently (my wife bought them and didn't wear them because they didn't fit that well), but the buyer said they had a defect but were still wearable. I didn't see it when I described and photographed the shoes. I worked out a partial refund with the buyer, who was happy and gave me good feedback. It was a win-win situation. If the buyer had just given me negative feedback, I would have been very unhappy that the buyer didn't try to work it out with me first. Steve

And? Did you? Steve

Let's face it. Shoe fashion is all about WOMEN's shoes. The trade journals, like Footwear News, give 90% of the space to women's shoes, 5% to men's shoes, and 5% to children's shoes. I don't expect a lot of men to be in the show, but if they are, and they're wearing men's shoes, it's going to be a very boring part of the show, right? If they're wearing women's heels, then it could be interesting, and might even popularize the idea and help us get respect. I won't hold my breath, though. Anyone seen the show or know about it? Steve

Mal, There is a tremendous outpouring of great advice and suggestions from a lot of caring mates you have here. I can't think of much else to add, but I do want to underscore that you need to be totally honest with your daughter and tell her whatever you think her 11-year old experience can understand. Show her that you love her very much and no matter what you wear, that will never change. Good luck in handling this tricky situation, and please keep us posted on what happens. We all care and want the best for you. Steve

I dunno, TBG, you might be passing up a golden opportunity here to learn a new skill, and take advantage of a situation that could be a good money-maker in retirement. Remember, SEP's are also opportunities! Mostly in jest, Steve

Mal, your detailed descriptions of your outings make fascinating reading, and you have dispelled all kinds of notions of what men THINK gals like or don't like as well as what other men would or wouldn't do. The bar man thinking about wearing heels and skirts - that was great! The drunk being a nuisance - if you weren't wearing heels and skirt, he'd have found some other thing about you to pick on - your outfit was just convenient. Let us know if Dr. Kim goes out with you, and good luck with her and your other women friends. Your outfit is sure a great icebreaker! I definitely look forward to hooking up with you on my next visit down under! Keep up the great writing! Steve

Barbara, I ALWAY wear hose with shorts (and capri pants)! I wear hose all the time - pantyhose or thigh highs usually (Comfilon's Activskin - google it), but if I have to wear long pants in hot weather, then knee highs. I hate going barefoot in shoes and I like the support I get from light or full support hose. Most of the time nobody notices, and if they do, they never say anything. To each his/her own! Steve

For those of you into pink heels, here is a pair my wife is selling. She bought them for an evening out once and never wore them, so they are brand new and pretty hot, I think, but she said they didn't fit her narrow foot well. Her loss could be your gain!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190408837222&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Steve

I have worn heeled clogs with shorts and capri pants on many occasions. Usually the heels are 3 inches and are either block or wedge. Nobody pays any attention. Steve

...I see that several of you integrate high heel shoes with relatively normal men's clothing or women's variations (e.g., jeans) and have not take the step of wearing skirts in public.

Bubba, I think you misread what JohnH wrote. He said that he noted that several of us have not take(n) the step of wearing skirts in public.

JohnH, welcome to the forum. We look forward to good posts from you. I'm one of those who have not taken the step of wearing skirts, either in public or private. Not interested in skirts, just heels (and nylon hose), with jeans and long pants. But if skirts are your thing, go for it. The focus of this forum is not skirts, though, so we hope you'll talk about and be more encouraged to wear heels.

Steve

Same here. I wear women's clogs/mules most of the time and generally 3" block or tapered/stacked heels, which don't attract a lot of attention. My favorites are Clark's. And always sheer or opaque nylon hose, usually Activskin brand. Never had a word or look from anyone. Steve

Wow, that was fast! They approved my review and posted it in less than 24 hours! They didn't change a thing from what I wrote either.

http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?skuId=075467050&productId=66462&subCatId=cat10285&catId=cat10088&lotId=075467

Steve

Yep, I would echo that comment, too. One of the wise people on this board advised us to look in the mirror before we go out, and if we're happy with the image we see, then go out in confidence and enjoy our day. That's good advice, don't you think, Thighbootguy? Steve

Don't be too naive! The chances are good that Mama and Papa are gonna find them sooner or later, either when looking for something else or just to see what their son is up to if they suspect drugs or alcohol or whatever else. Unless you've stolen the shoes, they're yours legitimately and you've done nothing wrong. You'd be far better off, in my opinion, to come out of the closet (literally), let your folks know of your passion, odd though it may be, tell them you're not alone, show them this web site (isn't the internet wonderful? You have a LOT of friends here!), and even wear the shoes occasionally in their presence, or at least leave them in the open to be seen. And who knows, maybe your father has the high heel gene, too? At the very least, they should be glad to know their son is open and honest and trusting enough to confide in them. Parents who love their sons will come to terms with their "different" behavior, whether it's long hair, loud music, tattoos, and piercings, or even a collection of high heel shoes. You will bond with your parents more closely, you won't have that nagging guilt about hiding stuff from them, and you forever avoid the fear of being found out and asked a lot of embarrassing questions. I know it's not easy for you to choose this route, but think about it from your parents' point of view. Steve63130

Hey, Kris! I got a pair of those Kline sandals on Ebay, and you are right - they ARE comfortable and easy to wear all day! I love them. Even my wife complimented me and she seldom does that! You inspired me to write a review also. I just submitted it and Payless says it takes up to 72 hours to get it reviewed and published. Let's see if it gets posted! Way to go, Kris! Steve

No, it shouldn't matter, and to most of us, it doesn't. To the rest of the world, however, it does or more accurately, we THINK it does, and that's where the trouble is. Go and wear what you want and let the morons out there adjust and get over it. Steve

Jim, This is another case where the demons are in our heads. People love us for who we are, not how we appear or what we wear. I love stories with happy endings! Steve