Aiming High - Practicing in Heels

[higherheels]

Looking closer at the second method I can also see the imperfections with the measurement points. I measured (to be fair my husband did, because as mlroseplant also said it's difficult without assistance) as if I worn heels - from the sole to the end of the imaginary heel. That's the only way it makes sense to me.

 

I too am convinced that you can increase your perfect heel height with practice. Nobody was born in heels, and some might be more familiar with heels from the beginning than others. But if I think back of my days when I started wearing heels regularly (where I actually already had experience in some higher heels, but didn't wear them all the time), I went with lower ones like 6 or 7 cm for everyday wear. Now I'm as comfortable for everyday wear in 9 or 10 cm heels. And I'm also sure that if my first heels had a 13 cm heel, I would've not been able to properly walk in them 😉

 

It would be interesting to see if the resting angle as measured in the formula improved with wearing heels more and higher. I think it did.

 

@mlroseplant I understand your decision, I also don't like low stiletto heels that much, the proportions look off. All my lowest heels are block heels, a much more balanced look in my eyes.

 

@Shyheels That's great! Standing is a hard discipline. 

If I practice at home it's also often while standing and cooking, there I can always feel how the kitchen is too low.

 

@CrushedVamp I also think there's too much of these "hacks", which in my mind shouldn't be even called so. It feels like sometimes they're just made up for getting attention.

I can generally see that many people need the easiest way everywhere. They're probably the target of such things. I already seen people asking AI for such simple things that any kid could answer within seconds.

Maybe the fact alone that we like heels is what differs us from that. Because heels aren't the easiest way. But they're certainly more fun, and sometimes also challenging 😉

[mlroseplant]

Yeah, the "life hacks" have gotten out of hand, but it seems that we are more about clicks than substance these days. The thing is, there are so many "heel hack" videos out there, I'm just wondering who is watching them? I certainly don't see anybody attempting to wear heels much these days.

I know that we are in a kind of bubble, and even amongst people who like high heels, and maybe even wear them occasionally, we are a tiny minority. This point was driven home just a few days ago when I told one of my female friends that we had a challenge in our little group to work on wearing higher heels. I told her my personal goal was 5 inch (or the scaled equivalent of 12 cm). Her first reaction was "Oh my God, why?" The only thing that made any sense to her was an analogy to dance, and the athletic challenges that go along with that.

The other thing that surprised me is that nobody really thinks about heel height as specifically as we do. If it looks cute or aesthetically pleasing to them, exact heel height doesn't matter all that much. And then let's get into steepness--forget it! It took me a while to explain to my friend that I, a size 9, had to have a taller heel to maintain the same shape compared to a size 7, the standard. It is not something that had ever crossed her mind in 57 years. I didn't even dare bring up the fact that 4 inch heels don't actually make you 4 inches taller!

@Shyheels Standing for a whole hour in 12 cm! That is quite an accomplishment. I'm not sure I could do it. Maybe I'll have to try. I have a whole pile of shirts to iron.

Edited 12 hours ago by mlroseplant

[Shyheels]

8 hours ago, higherheels said:

If I practice at home it's also often while standing and cooking, there I can always feel how the kitchen is too low.

I like to cook too and tend to do it in my 12cm boots. I’m up and standing and moving around the galley so it feels more productive than simply pacing back and forth. Standing for an hour though, while working at my laptop, was challenging. I could really feel it in my calves. I felt like I’d been hill walking all afternoon!

4 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

know that we are in a kind of bubble, and even amongst people who like high heels, and maybe even wear them occasionally, we are a tiny minority. This point was driven home just a few days ago when I told one of my female friends that we had a challenge in our little group to work on wearing higher heels. I told her my personal goal was 5 inch (or the scaled equivalent of 12 cm). Her first reaction was "Oh my God, why?" The only thing that made any sense to her was an analogy to dance, and the athletic challenges that go along with that

I think of it like taking up ice skating - new athletic challenges. As to why, well we all wear something in our feet and high heels are elegant. I love the aesthetics of a 12cm stiletto boot and would like to be able to wear them with the kind of panache one needs to carry off heels that high. It’s one thing to admire the aesthetics but if you can’t walk in them well you might as well stay in the sidelines. To walk in them well requires a lot of practice and dedication - and if you’re as lucky as we are, friends to help and encourage you along the way. I feel very fortunate to be sharing this challenge with such experienced heel wearers as you and @higherheels

[higherheels]

@mlroseplant Sometimes it's hard to believe that what is the most normal thing for us, is something that other people don't know anything about.

The one thing most people know (or think to know) about heels is: They're painful! I get looks of disbelief everytime I tell someone that they're not painful if you do some things right.

 

Believe it or not, I'm actually also the type to who heel height (the number) doesn't matter that much 😉

For me it's just about the look and aesthetic, but over time with wearing, shopping and looking for heels you simply get an idea of the look a certain heel height has.

And of course here on hhplace you need some numbers to make clear what you're speaking of as it's all about heels, but a 5 cm heel just isn't the same as a 13 cm heel 😉

 

@Shyheels A little bit of movement really helps. It's funny how long standing time affects us differently: I feel it in the balls of my feet. I feel it in my calves when walking in my 13+ cm boots.

It's great to share the experiences with others who are just as "crazy" 😀