Article on heels coming back into style

[Shyheels]

Saw this piece in The Guardian about heels coming back into style. The writer professes to be a heel aficionado who's having to relearn how to walk in heels again after the long hiatus. But then she describes 10cm heels as virtually unwearable in real life, 8cm as challenging and 6cm as not too dangerous a height. If she is genuinely struggling in 6cm heels, as she implies, she must be an absolute prize klutz.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/nov/11/heels-are-on-the-rise-and-im-ready-to-fall-for-them-again-literally

[Pumped]

9 hours ago, Shyheels said:

But then she describes 10cm heels as virtually unwearable in real life, 8cm as challenging and 6cm as not too dangerous a height. If she is genuinely struggling in 6cm heels, as she implies, she must be an absolute prize klutz.

WOW! The great majority of my heels are 4" or 10 cm. I have a few 3" or 8 cm. I also have a couple pair of 5" or 12.5 cm that I struggle with. Now I will admit I would not want to walk very far in 4" heels, I certainly would not go shopping in them, but I see no issues hopping a cab or Uber and getting dropped of near the door of my destination. 3" I believe I could wear for an extended time. I do have a pair of block heel boots that are around 3 1/2"  that I have worn while shopping. Stilettos would be a bit more to endure. 2"?? All day long baby! Regular every day height in boots.

I have to wonder about the author. Did she wear nothing but flats for the last few years? If yes, I would say there are very few people that could dive into a pair of 3" heels and wear them for an extended time comfortably after a long hiatus. 4" would be a big no, but buy a pair, wear them around the home, get the muscles and tendons stretched out again.

My first stiletto heels were 3". I thought the calf muscles in my legs were going to explode! I got used to them then bought 4" heels, same deal, calf muscles cramped up and got very sore in a few minutes. Today I wear 4" around the home all day with no issues.

[Shyheels]

I did a lot of fencing in my youth, as well as distance running and, later, lots of cycling and as a result I've always had strong and flexible ankles. When I first tried wearing heels, three inches were no harder than flats - they felt different, certainly, but totally easy to walk in. Four inches was slightly trickier, but certainly not hobbling in any sense. I have a pair of very nice OTK boots with 4" heels (scaled up for my foot size) that are slender, but not stilettos, and I found them quite compfortable to walk in - although I was certainly aware of being in heels, I could walk briskly and confidenty

Even at the very beginning I never had to 'learn' with three or four-inch heels.

I do have a pair of five-inch stiletto knee boots which are definitely a challenge. They give me the the best calf muscle workout I've ever experienced. I don't wear them that often so I never acclimitised to them, but I am certain I could. I don't because I find that three to four inch feels are the height that suit my personal style. 

But the woman in the article who writes that four inch heels are beyond the limits of what can be worn in real life has clearly never looked around her. While heels may not be as ubiquitous as they once were, four inch heels have never been regarded as an outlandish height -high, to be sure but not outlandishly so - and can be seen regularly on city streets at lunch hour. 

Edited November 12, 2022 by Shyheels

[mlroseplant]

I seriously doubt whether the author even knows what a 4 inch or 10cm heel actually is. Few women actually know what heel height they are wearing. Or maybe she's measuring up the side, so that 10cm would actually be closer to 12, which is the height that most couture pumps seem to be clustered around. At any rate, I can attest to the fact that endurance falls off rather quickly without regular training. It's not so much the walking, it's the walking more than 100 meters at a time that becomes difficult. This whole everybody's falling down business, I have no idea what that's all about. Probably exaggerated for a good story.

[Chorlini]

I don't have anything below 11cm, with 12cm my preferred comfortable height. 10cm would be like walking in flats to me. Sadly the vast majority of women are incapable of walking in heels because they never got into walking in heels in the first place. It's been sneaker culture for most of them, or the accursed army boots I see everywhere. Now heels may be desired by women, but little to no experience for most of them, all we will get is low to mid heels, platforms and a lot of whinging.

[Shyheels]

Yes, the whole busines about everybody stumbling and falling in heels is clearly nonsense - but then that is The Guardian through and through. Hyperbole rules!

[Cali]

What is missing from the article is the author's height and shoe size.  10 cm might be challenging for a size 5 (US) shoe. But unable to manage heels is also a function of weak ankles and muscles. A friend's daughter can run in her 4 inch stilettoes. 

I was already wearing 2 inch heels when I went to 4 inch heels.  It took me about a minute to find my new balance and off I went. I had been doing years of ankle exercises after several ankle reconstructions (cause partly by men's shoes). So it was no big deal to go to 4 inch heels.  I will wear my stilettoes for up to 16 hours, walking, standing, sitting, driving. If I know I will have to walk a lot, I will wear a block heel.

[Shyheels]

Shoe size us not necessarily relevant as the better quality shoes and boots have heel heights that are scaled to the size to keep the shape and proportions consistent. The standard heel height - eg 4” - for a particular model will be set for, say, a size 7 and then scaled up or down according to size, but sold as a 4” heel.

 

[SF]

The rise and fall, and rise again of heels...  And this time more guys can get involved?  I ordered another pair (that I do not need - but want, ha ha), yesterday...

Nice article....   sf

[Pumped]

On 11/12/2022 at 12:26 PM, Shyheels said:

Shoe size us not necessarily relevant as the better quality shoes and boots have heel heights that are scaled to the size to keep the shape and proportions consistent. The standard heel height - eg 4” - for a particular model will be set for, say, a size 7 and then scaled up or down according to size, but sold as a 4” heel.

 

Plus she was complaining about everything over 2 inches!🤣

[Chorlini]

17 hours ago, Pumped said:

Plus she was complaining about everything over 2 inches!🤣

Which shows exactly that she cannot wear any heels to begin with. Another sneaker queen who likes heels in theory but hates heels in practice.

[Shyheels]

She recognises they are a part of the zeitgeist and wants desperately to be au fait with the discussion - bit in fact hasn’t a clue. Not unusual among Guardian columnists