How high is high

[krazykev64]

just trying to find out how many inches a heel has to be to be classed as a high heel. personally i think its about 2.5''. put your choice on my poll

[jwhite44]

It's a tough question. I voted 3", my thinking being in the classic "low/medium/high" heel descriptions, I'd put:

1. Low: less than ~1 1/2"

2. Medium: ~1 1/2" to ~3"

3. High: 3"+

These measurements are geared more towards non-heel wearers. For most of us, it would be tough to say if our mother was wearing a pair of 3" heels, that they weren't "high".

The problem is that there was never an official category for heights above this. I've seem "ultra" mentioned from time to time, but I'm not sure what height you'd define that as.

I would say for most of the members on this board, their heights might be more like:

1. Low: less than 2 1/2"

2. Medium: ~2 1/2" to ~4"

3. High: 4"+

On a related note, it used to be that shoe websites just listed heel heights by low/medium/high, which really was a pain on the upper end. HHP members looking for "high" heels didn't want to see 3" heels if you are looking for 4" or 5" heels. Now most of them do make a distinction. For example www.endless.com got rid of l/m/h labels and lists actual heights as:

0.x"

1.x"

2.x"

3.x"

4.0" and higher

[M-a]

It is indeed a very tough question to answer... In general people seem to put everything above 3" as 'high' but if you ask me 3" is still a medium heel. It would be nice to see sites like ebay and online stores adding a categori in their search engines for 4" and up. As jwhite said, when I'm looking for high heels I'm not at all interested in going through a whole bunch of 3 inchers.

[Bubba136]

In my opinion, this is the height range: 1. Low: less than 2 1/2" 2. Medium: ~2 1/2" to ~4" 3. High: 4"+

[krazykev64]

In my opinion, this is the height range:

1. Low: less than 2 1/2"

2. Medium: ~2 1/2" to ~4"

3. High: 4"+

so how high is extreme or ultra high. i say 6''+ and what would you class these as. like to see someone walking down the street in a pair though

[Histiletto]

Instead of wondering about the height, it should be referred to as the rise. A lot of heels are really tall, but the platforms lessen the rise: like the example that krazykev64 presented. Take for instance a 3" heel. A person with feet having the length of 6" will have more rise than the person with feet having the length of 12". At 6", the rise is close to 27 degrees. At 12", the rise is about 14 degrees or almost half the rise. For feet with the length of 12" to have the same rise as the 6", the heel would have to be about 6" or twice as tall. (These measurements have been used for a ball park explanation and not for absolute correctness.) So what is high? A person with the height of 4.5' and feet lengths of 6" each, will think 3" is quite high. A 6.3' tall person with 12" feet will wonder if there is any heel much at all.

I would also like to remind everyone that your personal height will only increase as much as your ankles are raised and not the height of the heel. So if your 6" heels raise your ankles less than 3", then you are less than 3" taller in 6" high heels. (Again measurements are for illustration and not for exactness.)

[benno]

so how high is extreme or ultra high. i say 6''+ and what would you class these as. like to see someone walking down the street in a pair though

The world record shoes are probably best described as Mega Heels.

[Bubba136]

so how high is extreme or ultra high. i say 6''+ and what would you class these as. like to see someone walking down the street in a pair though

Get serious. They aren't, in my opinion, considered to be wearable shoes. Anyone walking down the street wearing a pair of heels with platforms that high is "certifiably committable." If there is a classification for them, it would be the "fetish" category.......

[roniheels]

I've always thought any heel height three inches or higher was a high heel.

[jsphcass]

I checked 4" because i have several in this range. However, i actually prefer wearing high heels that are at least 5" but no more than 6"...in fact 6" heels tend to be alot of effort to navigate around in and likely to reduce ones "heel wearing years" , thus i dont wear 6" that often but love the look of well designed heels that high (sounds contradictory i know).

[krazykev64]

The world record shoes are probably best described as Mega Heels.

i would say that they were made to get publicity. you cant call 16'' heels wearable but it would be interesting to see what they are like (if possible) to walk in. i wonder i anyone who uses this forum has actually seen a pair before

[yozz]

I have once seen someone at the gay pride in Amsterdam who was wearing something very high like that. How high exactly I cannot tell. For the rest he was wearing a few things that would have been inappropriate to post, even if I would have had a picture. Y.

[Pete]

The Guiness picture must be outdated although this pic is at least 5 years old. These are one meter high. With calf supports similar to stilt skates these would be quite walkable.

[krazykev64]

The Guiness picture must be outdated although this pic is at least 5 years old.

These are one meter high. With calf supports similar to stilt skates these would be quite walkable.

do they come with a crash helmet?

[Bubba136]

do they come with a crash helmet?

Need more than a crash helmet -- How about a parachute?

[geo]

Heel around the 4-5 inch range are in that group of high heels to me.

[jmorv]

Taking into consideration that these days, shoe fashion has reverted back to the days of platforms, and I know it's mainly do to the fact that foot doctors have been screaming to the shoe industry about making heels too high (which is a crock imo). Compromise being the best policy, more and more manufacturers are able to go back and design higher heels but with the plat...still very fashionable but at the same time, not killing the feet. With that said, the question of how high is high can be answered a little more liberally. It used to be that wearing 5" heels meant major pain later on while having sexy legs was the sacrifice every woman (and man) wanted. Those heights were considered high, but now have become the norm. i've been shoe shopping for a long time now and have noticed the trends ascend and descend when it came to heel heights. 3" heels were normal, 4 inches were daring, and five and above meant you walking the streets for money (joke there). These days, 4 and 5 inch is normal, with a plat of course due to the designer trend and then we go up from there and even some designers (like YSL and Christian Louboutin) feel that 5 1/2 and 6 inch heels can be ultra sexy, with a plat andmake every woman (and man) drool with desire. Sorry for the long winded remarks but it boils down to my point being that imo, and taking into consideration the fashion these days, 5 inches is normal, not high. When I see a 6 inch and above heel, that is taking your life into your own hands, but if you're are careful and throw caution to the wind, you will turn everyone's heads...kinda like what I do. Jamie

[Suki L]

it all depends what size you are doesn't it? i mean the larger the feet the higher the heels can be before they get dangerous. Unfortunately, I have large feet and find 5 1/2 very comfortable.

[sscotty727]

I voted for 3", but it depends on what you mean by the question. I consider 3" as the minimum I would consider as a high heel. But if you mean what do I consider high as in challanging to wear, then I would vote 5".

[Shant]

To me a high heel starts at 4".

[Enrico]

To start for my size 43 (NL) it starts with 4" and I find them the most comfortable. With a 5" I feel it quicker in the ankles.

[Lonnie]

I consider anything less than 3" high to be simply a pair of "Flip Flops" I wear a size 44/12 so I can easily accomodate a 5" heel and most often do.

[Puffer]

With due respect to previous posters, we should ignore any platform - the implication in the question is consideration of the net heel height (or 'rise'). And foot/shoe size, although it will affect the wearability of high heels, is also hardly relevant. IMHO, what we are seeking here is some agreement on what would be considered a 'high' heel in terms of net rise when worn by a woman with an average sized foot (say 6 or 7UK).

And women will not only have significantly varying views on that - based on appearance, wearability, morality etc - but are also unlikely to have the same view as most men with any intelligent interest in the subject. My vote, for what it is worth, is that, on a non-platform shoe, 3.5" is still 'medium' but 4" or more is 'high' - the jury is out on 3.75"!

Whilst there are many shoes with heels higher than 5" currently to be seen (and a few of more than 6"), almost all of them have a platform, often of significant thickness. There are, alas, very few shoes sold in or seen on the high street with a net rise of more than 12cm or about 4.75" - or does anyone here know better?

[Guest]

well, its a known fact (@ least for women a lot of the time) that when they were younger (older women) they could handle higher heels than they can now, so it is a difference of how high they would FEEL on their feet.

[beaztheelz]

i think a high heel really starts at 4 inches. 5 inches are very high and 6 and above is ultra or extreme high.

[Vix]

i think anything higher than 5" is just pointless

[chops_00]

4" is def high enough...

[partyshoes]

4" is def high enough...

Im with you on that - do myself damage if i go any higher .. and I'm not justtalking about ankles - door frames & shelves pose very real risk

That said, it doesnt stop me occasionally trying a pair of 5's

[5.5 Thrill]

Im with you on that - do myself damage if i go any higher .. and I'm not justtalking about ankles - door frames & shelves pose very real risk

That said, it doesnt stop me occasionally trying a pair of 5's

Short house or really tall person:silly:??

Sorry couldn't resist.

NO PLATFORM:

4" is high

5" is comfortable (all day wear)

6" is kick-ass fun (as long as there is a place to sit once in a while)

[krazykev64]

Im with you on that - do myself damage if i go any higher .. and I'm not justtalking about ankles - door frames & shelves pose very real risk

That said, it doesnt stop me occasionally trying a pair of 5's

i agree with the problem of shelves and doorframes. i'm 6 foot tall and i was only half inch lower than a standard 6ft 6in door frame when i was wearing my 7.5'' pleasers that i wore on my 5 mile walk. it would of been safer if i was 6ft 6in as i would have been looking at the wall above the door.