First Time To Work

[niknhose]

Today I took the plunge. I decided to wear heels to work(Yea go me ). I have been at my job for about 8 years and have made several friends, so you can imagine how scared I was. I wore my Lane Bryant 3inch heeled loafers, as they don't have the typical click-clack of my other heels, and long length jeans which mostly covered them. The only comment I got was from one of my friends, she had noticed that my stride was off and wondering if I was limping. I just said "no, no limp". While I'm comfortable walking in heels, these shoes try to force me to walk on the balls of my feet/toes with the way the heel is designed. I also had a cover story already in place in case anyone actually asked about my shoes. Since about january I have been dealing with an achilles tendon issue. The only times I have not had a problem was when I was wearing heels or no shoes. When weearing my regular shoes I would be limping/hobbling around my work place and the pain made me miserable. So, if anyone saw my shoes and asked why are you wearing heels, i was going to tell them that my doctor recommended keeping my foot at an angle.

[Heelster]

Today I took the plunge. I decided to wear heels to work(Yea go me ). I have been at my job for about 8 years and have made several friends, so you can imagine how scared I was. I wore my Lane Bryant 3inch heeled loafers, as they don't have the typical click-clack of my other heels, and long length jeans which mostly covered them. The only comment I got was from one of my friends, she had noticed that my stride was off and wondering if I was limping. I just said "no, no limp". While I'm comfortable walking in heels, these shoes try to force me to walk on the balls of my feet/toes with the way the heel is designed. I also had a cover story already in place in case anyone actually asked about my shoes. Since about january I have been dealing with an achilles tendon issue. The only times I have not had a problem was when I was wearing heels or no shoes. When weearing my regular shoes I would be limping/hobbling around my work place and the pain made me miserable. So, if anyone saw my shoes and asked why are you wearing heels, i was going to tell them that my doctor recommended keeping my foot at an angle.

I once in awhile have similar issues with me achilles. I have found 3 to 4" heels seems to temorarily help. I have a tight muscle structure which means I have never been able to touch my toes even if I try stretching etc. With heels I found I am better at reaching things on the bottom shelf then barefoot. It might explain why I have had no real issues going from a flat shoe/workboot to a 4" and up heel when it comes to walking.

[Shafted]

Don't even bother with the cover story (another name for a lie). Most people will see right through it. Be honest, tell them you're wearing them because you like them.

[Foxyheels]

Completely agree with Shafted, cover stories just enhance the belief it's wrong for us to wear heels. Just tell them the truth you will be surprised at the lack of reaction you get. Very few people care, people comment more on my bracelets and earrings than they do my 4" heels.

[Bundy999]

Congratulations on your step forward, and the encouragement it gives to those of us more timid.

[Thighbootguy]

niknhose – No matter where you go wearing heels, go with confidence. Don’t bother with a cover story, it becomes a mental crutch. If someone asks about your heels, and appropriate response is, “Yeah, I like them.” Present yourself with confidence and others will respect that image, if you don’t some others will take advantage of the perceived weakness and have fun at your expense. The bottom line is, if you are not confident with the image you present, don’t present it. Sorry to read about your achilles tendon issue. Walking in pain is no fun. You mentions that heels or barefoot was comfortable. JeffB has started running around in flats, although that is not an appropriate topic for discussion here at hhplace , you might give them a try.

Edited May 25, 2012 by Thighbootguy

[Steve63130]

Hey, JeffB, "www.flatsplace.org" doesn't seem to be an existing domain. You could start a forum there. LOL Just kiddin' ya. Steve

[CRabbit]

I'm really happy for you. Sounds like you've taken the first steps towards a great new world. Keep it up! Chris

[Aly]

Completely agree with Shafted, cover stories just enhance the belief it's wrong for us to wear heels. Just tell them the truth you will be surprised at the lack of reaction you get. Very few people care, people comment more on my bracelets and earrings than they do my 4" heels.

Agreed - just treaat it as if it's an everyday occurence. Many years ago I was wearing my 2" block heel boots to work one day - our boss decided to take us to lunch and we ended up at a Japanese restaurant, where we had a private "booth" that required us to remove our shoes before entering. I reaqched down, unzipped the boots, removed them, and set them down by the entry along with the rest of the group, and then sat down and had a great lunch. After lunch, as we were putting our shoes back on, a female co-worker remarked "Nice boots!" - I simply replied "Thank you! They are my most comfortable shoes and I wear them a lot!". Nothing else was said, either right then, back at the office, or ever. It was a complete non-event.

[niknhose]

Thank you all for the encouraging words, I appriciate(sp?) it alot. I did have a couple of people notice today that I seemed taller. One was my former supervisor, she asked if i was taller. I just pulled up my pant leg and showed her my heels. Her reaction was more non-reaction than anything. She just said "ok, whatever". The other person I only heard about, they had been inquiring about me out in the smoking area. My cube neighbor had told them I was wearing them for theraputic reasons. I only make note of this as I had discussed the pain problem with my neighbors but did not say anything about wearing heels. For those of you have not taken the step forward, I can understand the place your at and hope that one day you too can "Step Out" . And as for the cover story, I'm not even gonna worry about it.

[niknhose]

So today is day 3 with my heels at work . Nobody said anything. I did go to payless after work to exchange a pair for shoes I bought online that were uncomfortable. The clerk was very pleasent for the exchange and we went to look at other shoes. I showed my heeled loafers and asked if they had anyhting like that. She said that they are seasonal around fall. She showed me a couple pair of wedges and platforms but nothing struck my fancy. We went back to the counter and did a refund instead. While doing the refund, we talked more about my shoes and other stores to get shoes. At this rate I might switch up to my stilletos or maryjanes.

[JSLS]

I have been dealing with an achilles tendon issue. The only times I have not had a problem was when I was wearing heels or no shoes. When weearing my regular shoes I would be limping/hobbling around my work place and the pain made me miserable.

This. I have also found this. I have an achilles issue, something I actually had physio for, and has recently become an issue again. Usually, if I sit for too long, my ankle will hurt like crazy when I stand up. Not in my boots/heels. It's crazy. I spent almost an entire day at home in my boots one day, and not a smidge of pain.

I'm sorry for hi-jacking the thread, I just thought I'd see if anyone else has experienced this.

[Heelster]

This. I have also found this. I have an achilles issue, something I actually had physio for, and has recently become an issue again. Usually, if I sit for too long, my ankle will hurt like crazy when I stand up. Not in my boots/heels. It's crazy. I spent almost an entire day at home in my boots one day, and not a smidge of pain.

I'm sorry for hi-jacking the thread, I just thought I'd see if anyone else has experienced this.

As I mentioned above (and it's not a cover story for me) I have had this issue for years. I'm tight structued. Never have been able to strech it out enough to do some things others take for granted. Cowboy style boots were always a blessing when it came to walking for extended periods of time. Now that I have found the 'other boot aisle' it allows a better selection.

It's funny in ways. I am closer to touching my toes in a platform heel like my avatar than if my feet are flat on the floor

Just before our 25 anniversary trip, I pulled a couple muscles pushing some big stuff around at work. I could barely walk in my steel toe work boots. Kinda worked out OK. The wife didn't complain about me wearing 4" stacked narrow heeled boots for the whole trip.

[samcar455]

Not gonna lie niknhose, I'm pretty jealous. But overall I'm happy for you and the confidence you're getting from it.

[niknhose]

In my continuing adventures at work, I had another lady ask me today about my heels. I told her I was ahead of the fashion curve

[Shafted]

See how easy it is?

[bluejay]

In my continuing adventures at work, I had another lady ask me today about my heels. I told her I was ahead of the fashion curve

Nice response to that co-worker. The more you wear heels the more comfortable you will become wearing them. There are women out there that are ok with men in heels. I have had my share of positive comments while wearing, MY HEELS from many women. Keep on heeling!

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[hhboots]

Niknhose, Very nicely done on wearing heels to work. I've only worn higher heels well away from the workplace. At work I always stick with casual style shoes with less than 3" heels that look very plain and androgynous. I never have built up the comfort level to do anything more than that at work. Anyway... congrats to you, keep it up!

[niknhose]

Another round of thanks to all for the encouragement. After 2 weeks most everybody knows now and the most snide comment I have received was from one of my closer freinds who was just ribbing me. He asked if I had lost a bet but he really didn't care. So now I am thinking about going with a new pair of shoes to give my loafers a rest. I'm not sure about wearing my stileto's but am seriously considering a pair of my maryjanes even tho I have reservations. I know the fear is irrational at this stage as everybody knows I wear heels. -Nikki I wear these daily to work

Edited June 5, 2012 by niknhose

[Steve63130]

Nik, Good progress. Take it slowly, though. Wear conservative shoes and don't be in too much of a rush toward anything perceived as girlie. Enjoy the journey and educate your colleagues. Steve

[Thighbootguy]

Steve63130 offers excellent advice. Your comment, "I'm not sure about wearing my stileto's" is, in my opinion, also sound advice.

[Foxyheels]

I agree that it's a massive step up to wearing stiletto's at work. I sometimes wear my 4'' block heel boots but surprisingly most people don't realise how high they are. One conversation had three of the ladies averaging them out at 2''. Anyway back to the stiletto's, a girl at my work has begun to wear higher and higher stiletto heels, probably because she has lost over ten stones in weight and feels good about herself. She is probably up to 4''+ now and numerous people are begining to comment that they are becoming too high, the comments are bordering on becoming negative. My response is to say ''leave her alone I shall encourage her to go higher''. They all say ''well you would'' and it lightens the mood. The point is even females still get noticed wearing very high heels at work so caution is required. However if I thought I had the appropriate body type and look it wouldn't stop me.

[HBheels]

I mostly work with women so I don't have as much of an issue with wearing heels to work. I rarely have to deal with the general public (my office is in the back) so again I don't have as much of an issue. I tend to wear stilettos or wedges that are inbetween 3" and 5" depending on how I feel that day and how much running around i know I will have to do. Now mind you i have been with the business since it started in 1998 so i have been around for a while and it wasn't until 4 years ago that I even wore heels there. mostly i would wear cowboy boots ( I am in the somewhat southwest lol) over regular men's dress shoes mostly due to comfort. It wasn't until I went out one day a few years ago that any of my co-workers knew of my high heel obsession. I went out in a pair of peep toe pumps to go with a friend shopping at one of the malls in OKC and while we were there I ran (literally) smack into our accountant who was just walking out of one of the stores. She was happy to see me and had asked if my friend and i would join her for lunch. Of course I wouldn't turn her down but my heart was pounding due to before the only people I had to worry about were people that I quite possibly would never run into again with any kind of regularity. Now this was different, now i was standing in front of someone I saw everyday. I won't lie and say that I wasn't scared because I was at that time. I knew my friends were accepting and happy that I am the person I am. I didn't know how a co-worker would react. My thoughts ran to my job and I thought that this was the end and I could kiss 8 years with my company good bye and that would be the end of it. We went to lunch and everything went fine I was still nervous. After we said our good byes we left and headed back home. I knew monday would be a day to dread so I felt worse and worse. Finally monday came and I walked into work where as soon as I walked in there the accountant was talking to several of the other ladies and I could feel a deathly stare as i said good morning and went as quicklly as I could to my office. I felt like I was running from shadow to shadow trying to avoid everyone at work at this point when the day fianlly wound down and it was almost time to leave. The accountant and my boss walked into my office right as I was getting ready to leave and asked if they could talk to me about something. I thought "here we go, wonder how long it will take me to update my resume". They made small talk and asked my opinion about varoius projects we were working on so on and so forth. At this point we had been throwing ideas around for about an hour when they got up to walk out. The accountant walked out and my boss stopped. She tyrned to me and said, " Oh by the way we have talked to the other ladies here about what happened on Saturday and if you would like to please come to work in something more comfortable." I don't know how long I sat at my desk for before I got up to leave but to say I was shocked would have been a gross understatement. The next day I came into work in a pair of brown pumps and my knees were shaking. No one said a thing to me and I could barely stammer out and "Good morning". The day went on and most of the women I worked with were very friendly and came by to talk to me. By the end of the day the nevousness had worn off and I went to go home. Walking out the door the receptionist told me she liked my shoes and she would see me tomorrow. Since that day I have worn heels to work and often get asked where I got mine from. It was a gradual process but now I don't even think about it and I am enjoying it. Honestly I agree with the advice you have gotten here. I was lucky enough to work with people that had an open mind and had known my for several years before they knew about my shoes. Not everyone will be that understanding. It is best to start small and work your way up. I never wore anything other than pumps for about six months before I ventured into other types of shoes and I have had good reactions and bad reactions. I will never fault anyone that reacts at all but I will respect their opinion. If I am ever asked to stop wearing heels to work because it is making someone uncomfortable I will do so because it is honestly the right thing to do. The workplace should be a place where people should feel comfortable around their co-workers. Fortunatly I haven't ever been asked that and i can continue to be comfortable myself and the ladies I work with can be as well.

[Thighbootguy]

HBheels - Thanks for the post. It is well written and a great read. I felt like I was there with you. I'm glad you have a good (comfortable) work environment and good folks to work with. Take care of it, I suspect they are rare. TBG

[hhl4vr]

Thanks for sharing HBheels. I agree your story was well written and it felt like I was there myself. Glad it worked out for you.

[HBheels]

Thanks TBG They are rare indeed andI am happy to name just about all them as friends now. most of the will send me pictures of new heels they are looking at buying to see if they would be good. My opinion is respected and I have on one occassion or another gone shopping with them. I enjoy the environment I am in because it takes forever to find a place where you can work that you can be comfortable. As with any job people come and go. I think at least half of the women I worked with at the time i started wearing heels to work have for one reason or another left the job and I have had a run in or two with new people but it is quickly resolved and with out any bad feelings from any side. Out of 12 that started the company only 4 are left from 1998. We have gone from 12 to 37 people working there so everytime we have a new person start (male or female) I always make it a point to introduce myself to them so that at least they know I am a generally good person with a wise-cracking attitude. That with more often than not win them over and produce a very good working relationship. It has been a fun journey and one that I wish I would have started sooner but all in al I am glad that I have the chance to be myself and to be able to enjoy something I love even at work.

[niknhose]

I'm saying this alot lately, thank you all for the kind words and encouragement. HBheels, like you I have been with the company I work at for some time. I am coming up on my 8 year anniversary and my 3rd year on the current project. I have seen many people come and go in just about every form and fashion, from your straight laced business types to m2f/f2m transitioning to people with more holes and bodyart than a new york museum. I have made lots of friends there and some I have worked with since I started. I will take everybodies advice and continue to move forward at a slow pace at work, as I'm still learning to walk 'correctly' in 3 inch heels lol. -Nikki

Edited June 5, 2012 by niknhose

[Steve63130]

HBheels, Thanks for the great post! It was a fun read and I'm glad it worked out favorably for you. You handled yourself very well. Thanks for sharing the story. It's inspiring. Steve

[HBheels]

I am glad it worked out the way it did. It could have just as easily gone the other way. I think that if you can be confident what you wear is less important than the person that you are. Some people will see that others will not. As long as you are happy those that judge you on what you wear shouldn't matter.

[niknhose]

I love some of my co workers . So today one of my close friends, who is on maternity leave, came in for a baby shower. I told i had gotten new shoes and showed them to her. She said that's awesome, good for you. Then she asked are you wearing pantyhose or knee hi's. I was stunned by the question needless to say, but I told her I was wearing pantyhose. She was asking me another question but we got interupted by some other co-workers. I also got the you seem taller comment from another co-worker. I said I was and showed her my shoes. She asked why, and I told her cause I can . I also told her it helped out with my achilles problem, which it does. She told me her 10 yr old son was having problems with his and asked did I think she could get him in a pair of heels. Work being work I didnt get a chance to answer her. I did however send some of the info I had found on the issue to her including some shoe sites. I have become alot more confident and less self-conscious about wearing my heels around work and out in public in the past couple of weeks. All of the encouraging words and stories have been helpful in my quest for normality/liberation/freedom in being me. Thank you all. -Nikki