What have we achieved to date ?

[xaphod]

When this board was created a little over 8 years ago, we didn't know how long it would last or if, beyond a small group of like-minded people, it would expand.

It's good to see that we have a continued influx of new people saying things along the lines of "I thought I was the only one, what a relief to find others like me." In that respect, I feel good that the work I have put in and a huge amount more by others is lightening the burden of others' lives.

(To quote Dickens, "Those who lighten the burden of others' lives are not useless." )

Have we changed the general attitude of the general public to guys in heels ? Maybe in cosmopolitan centres such as London's West End, but the taunts of the oafs in other parts of the Metropolis are as bad as any. Even provincial towns are more polite. People there might think something derogatory, but have the civility to keep quiet.

(I have in mind the remarks of the garbage truck guys as they drove away in Camden when I was there last week, or the shopkeeper on the short-range business radio (PMR446) talking to his colleague in the next shop. I happened to come in as the speaker in the previous shop I visited was finishing his over on the radio, and copied his remarks to the sniggering counter jockey. As soon as he saw me he rapidly stifled his guffaws. I had the last laugh as I did a swift about face to exit by saying, "If you weren't taking the piss, I might have spent some money in your empty shop." The credit crunch has its uses.)

Some days ago, there was a report in the newspapers that homophobia (in which, because of our dress choice, the uninformed include us) is about twice as frequent even as racial discrimination.

In short, I hope we are a force to improve the lot of heely-kind, but I fear there is much yet to do and that it won't happen overnight.

Xa

[Dr. Shoe]

I have noticed that a lot more guys are wearing heels in the fetish clubs and I don't think it will be more than another 8 years before we are seeing them more on the street. I went to Club Rub about the same time I joined this forum and apart from the trannies, I was the only guy in heels there, now it's more like 50-60%...

[Bootking]

"If you weren't taking the piss, I might have spent some money in your empty shop." The credit crunch has its uses.Xa

Yes is does and the best way to do it is to vote with your feet (no pun intended) and walk out! Good for you!!

[Bootylicious]

In that respect, I feel good that the work I have put in and a huge amount more by others is lightening the burden of others' lives.

Have we changed the general attitude of the general public to guys in heels ?

Some days ago, there was a report in the newspapers that homophobia (in which, because of our dress choice, the uninformed include us) is about twice as frequent even as racial discrimination.

In short, I hope we are a force to improve the lot of heely-kind, but I fear there is much yet to do and that it won't happen overnight.

Xa

All very true, this board on it's own can't do much in general but as we all know it does a lot for us individually and it's up to us individuals to show the rest we just want one of the basic human rights: freedom...

Regarding homophobia: the Western World has imported a lot of cultures the last few decades which are sometimes not all together very tolerant towards for example gay people. That seems to have an effect on the tolerance of our society as a whole. Weird thing is that saying this nowadays is almost considered discrimination. Go figure...

I dare to say we have passed the peak of our 'free society' quite some time ago.

[Histiletto]

As long as there are people who don't think for themselves, but go long with what is expected, changing social attitudes will be almost insurmountable. Also unless all people care about the welfare of the person next to them, in the neighborhood, in the town/city, in the country, and/or including across the world, no one can feel as free as our agency tells us how it ought to be. An individual has to be aggressive in this social climate, if they want to enjoy even some of these freedoms, which may tweak some noses. A few years ago, no one would have even considered that men wearing heels with their shirts and trousers was anything other than part of the homo community. Now we know trans-dressing of any kind isn't really part of this activity, in fact many gay people prefer to wear the clothing society has dubbed for their gender classification. We have become aware that in being male heelers, our desires to wear heels as hetero-people are very common. Some male heelers choose to openly wear their high heels, but most of the males do it secretly under the cover or shadows of darkness, with in their residential confinements, outside their usually known areas of activities, and/or while wearing costumes to disguise their identity. There are even some males who want to wear heels, but refrain from doing so because they are scared of soiling their image of maledom. Other achievements include the many individual contacts that has been done by some members. A few World Heel Meets and some regional Heel Meets have reached reasonably successful attendance, with more being planned as time move on. More importantly, an increase of heeler's spouses or SO are supportive partners.

[Dawn HH]

Xaphod:-) Your efforts in the begining have not gone unnoticed here on the Board. And you are right that there is a lot of work yet to be done, but it will be done and done effectively, I have no doubt about that. Someone said that it may take another 8 years to achieve our objectives. I hope to be healthy enough to see that come about. Cudos on what you said and did to that shop owner by walking out. Maybe the next time he will mind his manners when a heeler walks into his shop. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Bubba136]

Remember the tune from a long time ago sung by Frank Sinatra -- "he's got high hopes...." There have been some very active members from England that have "plowed the ground" for the a lot of the rest of us over the past years. Calv, Francis, Xaphod, Firefox, Richie, etc. We do owe them a large dept of gratitude for taking the first steps that gave us the courage to follow in their "footsteps." Our thanks for making appearing in public wearing heels a little easier. That being said, I have to agree with Kneehighs. It's going to take a lot more people than the small number in our group to sway the the attitude of the general population, that has been steeped in thousands of years of tradition, to generally accept men in heels. One conversion at a time is, perhaps, the most we can realistically look towards.

[crotchhiboots]

Let's not forget Hiluc either. Firefox has his website too. He referes to this site as the mega-forum.

[JeffB]

As far as what we've accomplished, in my humble opinion, we are such a small niche community to begin with, that I doubt there are enough of us (population wise) to make an indelible imprint on social consciousness.

This is why I've concluded that assimilation will occur on an individual basis -- a one person at a time basis as opposed to a collective group victory.

I couldn't agree more! Because our numbers are so miniscule, and that we're scattered from one end of the globe to the other, collectively, we'll never make that sort of large imprint kneehighs mentioned. Like he said, we're a niche, nothing more.

But that's okay with me, I'm of the opinion that it's the individual victories that count most, because of this website and all the people who've put in the time and devotion and hard work to make it into what it is, I and others would still be very much in the closet today, reduced to just wearing heels indoors or being a midnight skulker, instead, I proudly wear the shoes I love in broad daylight, and that's because of all the encouragement and inspiration I've gained from everyone here who boldly blazed the trails before me, teaching me there's nothing wrong, evil or perverted about men who enjoy to wear women's shoes.

While we haven't achieved any sort of earth shattering revolution, we have opened some eyes here and there in the public at large while bringing like minded people together to share our most unique passion. And, in my mind, that's the REAL accomplishment, something we should all take pride in.

[Bubba136]

Let's not forget Hiluc either. Firefox has his website too. He referes to this site as the mega-forum.

Ah, yes. HiLuc. He has contributed a great deal to the idea of men in heels. Two things about him, though. He is from Belgium. I was just remembering those in the UK. There are a whole lot of others from all over the globe that can be mentioned along with those I named. Joak from Germany, for one (and another UK male to female convert whose name I can't immediately recall). Secondly, Hiluc departed the scene to undergo sexual conversion to becoming a female. Which, in the final analysis doesn't detract in any way from his contributions.

I often think of Hiluc (Laurance) and wonder how she's adapting to life on the feminine side. If anyone is still in contact with her, please let her know we fondly remember her and wish she would occasionally check in and bring us up to date on her activities.

[docs41]

True, this community is an incredibly small representation of individuals from around the world, but let's not minimize what good it has done. The board founders started the forum as a place for like-minded heel lovers to exchange opinions and ideas. It has become a home for many of us (including myself) where we can gain some self assurance and confidence in an area that would be quite difficult or even impossible for some to pursue our likes, or fetish, or whatever one may want to call our preference for "female" footwear. I, for one, am extremely grateful to the founders and members of our forum regardless of how large or small our group may be! Long live hhplace!!!

[TooTall]

Gives me peace of mind. It is so delightful to discover that other men like heels for the same reason that I do. With me, it's not a fetish thing, I just like them. With society conditioning us as it does, it's easy for a normal male to think that wearing heels is not something they should be doing. Darn it all, they feel neat. I feel graceful in them. And, with black pumps and long jeans or pleated dress pants, I think I look sharp. Not feminine, not deviant, just sharp. I tend to be long and slender to begin with, heels accentuate that.

[thedesigner]

the best thing about this site is that it encourages people to be confident. I've worn heels for years, i feel naturally attracted to womens styles in the shops, and as i have tiny feet know they'll have my size, and feel more confident (poss extra height) and genuinely more comfortable in them, as they fit better. It's nice that this site encourages the timorous to be confident; it's a fashion thing, and no different a fashion idea than emo or bling.... Onwards and upwards !

[loswabs]

I suspect there are many millions of guys around the world who at one time or another have worn high heels, or have dreamt of wearing high heels but for their own reasons haven't acted upon their feelings. In the case of hhplace.org, maybe I'm a lot more advance in expressing my feelings than I have previously given myself credit for. Perhaps there are other who feel the same. What I do know is the contributors of this board have given me the confidence to be truer to myself than I otherwise might have been, and that's a damn good thing to have achieved.

[tightsnheels]

I do agree that it will take a lot more men to make the movement happen and that as it looks we should see more in the coming years. That said I can see a number of hurdles in our way.

1) Religious intolerance, people like to quote from the old testament and the Koran now I don't know much about the Koran but I do know Christianity and most the laws of the old testament were abolished by Christ. (Please no religious wars it was how I was taught.) Also I am more Native American than white and in most native populations cross dressers are tolerated and in some cases revered.

2) Stereo types set in place by big mouth stars and sports people.

3) The talk show circuit (Ie. Dr. Phil {actually told a woman to divorce her husband because he was a deviant because he was a cross dresser.}, Oprah, Jerry springer etc)

4) So called fashion experts, (not Kneehighs) but the ones who after an award show get on TV and talk about how awful so and so was dressed the night before but they really should not have graduated from granimals because they can't put there own clothes on with any sense of style.

5) Bad press. If any man commits a crime while wearing heels its the heels that get the attention.

I will now return youto your regulary schedualed soap box.

T&H

...have you ever noticed how our clothes never smell clean...

[Guest]

LOTS.

New members daily, girls that are unsure of the male wearers but accepting, odd ones or two that like girls in heels and that alone 90% are of us as left want to wear, whether to bring out the girlie side, explore their own sexuality or just want to wear, be it jealousy or equality that creates that desire.

For me it is not a fetish

The posture created in heels helps alleviate discomfort and pain from neck and shoulder injuries

Yes it has been an obsession and will be until public acceptance.

The forums have brought people together with our little problem, except it's NOT OUR, it's SOCIETIES problem.

When communities were small everone knew each other assisted and helped, taught the young, fed the weak and elderly. The disabled were given a chance, the disturbed tolerated.

We may not think ourselves as the village fool but back 500 years that may have been the case and tolerated.

We have been both lucky and unlucky, our mental attitudes have come to terms with fashion being the tolerance matching clothes that will work to form a style, each one of us can carry and create acceptance hopefully within our community, the unlucky bit is, it isn't today and patience is required.

What is OK in Soho, Kings Road or other fashion centres in London don't work in the suburbs of Portsmouth.

We are moving forward, slowly, reflecting on many of the gender issues that have become accepted in the last 5-10 years that have shown the fruit that was sown 50 years before, As an older member 50+ I'm sure we will walk freely soon hopefully our elder members won't have to struggle with zimmer frames prior to that time.

I'll close with thanks to those that created HHPlace, members that give just even a tiny bit of advise and those Masters showing us accolites the way

Best foot forward and dig your heels in to stand firm

Al

[crotchboots-m]

changing the views of the general public? probably not...but it is nice to know that one is not alone in these matters. we are not freaks,just different in our fashion tastes.

[Magic Heels]

Thr Designer You are quite right, I feel a lot more confident since I discovered this site. We will not change the world but the site helps high heelers to face it better.

[loswabs]

We will not change the world but the site helps high heelers to face it better.

This is sooooooooooooo true!!!!

[bootsforme]

I've written to two or three companies to make more of the taller boots available for men, and/or make more styles and sizes available. I measure success entirely in terms of communication with designers and manufacturers, and the availability and purchase of decent footwear.

[crotchhiboots]

Thanks to this board I have now a few friends in England one in B.C., one in New Jersey and another in New York City. I have been to London twice and NYC a couple of times for Heelmeets. Hell last heelmeet in London Dr.Shoe put me up for a couple of days, all because of this board. (Thank you Doc.). I even got to ride around London with Heelfan. Talk about friends. This board has given me a lot. I only wish that I could give back all the support and friendship that I have recieved. CHBs

[ShockQueen]

I think, as has been said by many before, that while we aren't changing any drastic scope of how heels are perceived in the world, we are doing our part to help those who choose to include heeled footwear as part of their normal wardrobe more confident and at ease with being able to be the people we want to be. We have gone out in public, been in the workplace, in introduction to partners/significant others, and many many more. We have been doing our part to educate those out there that this is not a deviant behaviour, it's not just a fetish, and most of all..........heels aren't just for women! HHPlace has been working to slowly blur the lines of gender-based fashion in small places here and there, and any progress that has been started will surely continue. I remember many of the originals, such as Firefox, Francis, Highluc, Xaphod, Joak, JeffB - some have come and gone, but there has never been a shortage of people here to support others. As long as this forum is here, that will never change. In my own personal life, I've become more in touch with feminine fashion, and have incorporated many different clothing styles into my life, which has made me feel more self-confident, assured, and at ease with who I am and how I want to be in my life - thanks to all my friends here! The movement will continue, this family will continue to flourish, and progress will keep moving forward - it's inevitable! The designers have already started doing it as well, so it'll get there.......it's just a matter of time. :-)

[Tech]

Taking the "shock" factor out of peoples perceptions, 1 town at a time. For every 1 person here that goes out and about in their own personal choice of footwear, every person they encounter who see's it, has their "perceptions" adjusted sub-conciously. Maybe not by much, but just like anything else we see in life, the more exposure we get, the less sensative people become to it, and it just rolls into becoming "the norm" Thus, the next time somebody see's it, it becomes "oh, another one" rather than "look at that", unless of course you dress like a clown too, in which case it has the reverse effect, and actually encourages peoples stereotypes, laughter, piss-taking and general non-acceptance. We cant all look like kneehighs, or Nigel, but they are good starting points

[Elegant]

Oh, and I'll add one more thing that's very important: attitude. If a street-heeler expects compliments / acceptance / positive reactions, he'll probably get them, because his way of thinking makes him self-confident, and affects the behaviour. If someone expects ridicule / offence etc. though, he feels nervous, sends out the hints of fear and some people might try to "subdue" him when they see he's an easy prey.

[Dawn HH]

Look confident and be confident and you will be accepted as you are as a heel wearing male with a great fashion sense and will be accepted anywhere and at anytime and in any situation. You can't ask for any more than that. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[johnieheel]

Thanks to a great deal of motivation from this board, which I discovered with a little help from a good friend of mine who also taught me how to use a computer back in 2006, I have been able to show 100's if not 1,000's of people around my area and every where else I have been that it's OK for men to wear heels as just men by committing myself to wear the shoes of my choice (heels) on a daily basis. Thank you all!!!

[Dawn HH]

Hear! Hear! That says it all, Johnieheel. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Magickman]

For me, it all started five years ago, as a means of adding a few inches to my diminutive frame. I selected a pair of workboot style chunky heels at Sears, and the young female sales assistant loudly proclaimed "BUT THOSE ARE WOMEN's BOOTS." It wasn't until somewhat later, that I serendipitously discovered the High Heel Place. I was very pleased to discover there were other fellows who also liked wearing high heels, that I wasn't the only one. Here in Minnesota, it still seems like I am the only one. At least, I have not seen any others. It is a less lonely pursuit, though, knowing that many more male heelers exist. Confidence born of experience, has made all the difference for me. What began with anxiety and trepidation, has become normal, everyday style. Now that I am comfortable in a variety of heels, up to and including tall stilettos, public reaction to my shoes reflects my own positive beliefs, and is overwhelmingly complimentary. Ordinary men's shoes offer little variety of style. My heeled footwear, in comparison, is fashion forward and very stylish. I will award well earned credit, to this board, for helping me to achieve the confidence and self-assurance to regularly wear heels in all public spaces. We may be a fringy, niche group, but we are folks who can march to the beat of our own drummer, while having fun doing so.

[yozz]

The great merit of hhplace is in my eyes that it has given many people quiet of mind. The knowledge that you are not the only one, and that the urge to go out with your heels is also shared by others. And it also helps in discussions with ones SO to be able to say that there are many others. The massive amount of data about men who like heels has helped many people when they broke the news to their partner. I think that thanks to hhplace my wife has no real problems with me going out in heels. Her only consideration is whether I make a fool of myself. Hence it has to look good and not be too obvious. Others don't have that restriction. Still, one doesn't see men with heels easily. I was today downtown Amsterdam in the Kalverstraat (one of the busiest streets) and realized that even if there would be several men with heels (mine were only 6cm) you wouldn't notice. Either you look for shoes and every time you see heels and you look up, you see a woman, and conversely, when you look for men and then look down you see flat (often sneakers). It becomes very tiring after a very short while and hence you stop doing this. Conclusion: only if your attention is really drawn to it (like red pumps that cry for attention) you would notice. Is that a good thing? Y.

[Dawn HH]

Very well said, Yozz. Cheers--- Dawn HH