Game Shows and Heels

[CrushedVamp]

The other day as I was doomscrolling, somehow an old clip of The Price is Right came along, and in watching it this contestant took forever to do the task she was required to do. It was not that which grabbed my attention, but rather the model who, after standing for so long in her high heels, you could tell was having serious foot pain. She tried to wait until the camera was not on her, but several times she could be seen wincing and trying to ease her foot pain in all matter of ways. Certainly, my heart went out to her, but that amount of standing in heels was not typical of that show.

I remember when Deal or No Deal came out really feeling for the models. They had to stand perfectly still, and not walking around at all, for almost the whole show. If you watch closely you can see where the models really struggled with this. The first time I saw that show I thought it was model cruelty. For that reason alone, I could not dare to ever watch the show.

Has anyone else watched Game Shows on television and felt sympathy/empathy for the models who endured so much while required to wear high heels?

[mlroseplant]

In the 1980s, I can remember watching Vanna White on "Wheel Of Fortune." She always had on high heels for the show, and her letter turning job always showed them off well. I can remember reading some interviews with her at a later time, where she basically said she hated everything about wearing heels.

[CrushedVamp]

8 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

In the 1980s, I can remember watching Vanna White on "Wheel Of Fortune." She always had on high heels for the show, and her letter turning job always showed them off well. I can remember reading some interviews with her at a later time, where she basically said she hated everything about wearing heels.

I could see that.

Generally, whatever we are forced to do under duress we begin to detest. Not always of course, as some things we were forced to do as kids, as we grow older, we begin to have a nostalgic look back upon it, but mostly we detest what we were forced to do, or in this case wear.

My wife, she is rather the opposite of Vanna. Her first husband was short and thus forbid her to wear high heels, so when allowed kind of went crazy on the wearing of them.

[mlroseplant]

My ex-wife was/is a good two inches taller than me in bare feet, and I encouraged her to wear heels as much as possible, which she often did. I really don't see what the big deal is. Unfortunately or indifferently, she was unable to hack wearing anything over 2 inch heels for very long. We had very different ideas about the significance of heels.

[CrushedVamp]

I am not sure what constitutes a high tolerance of high heel wear. I say often, "my wife lives in her high heels" and it is true, she wears them often, but her tolerance of them depends on what she is doing.

Most times it is to church where she spends only brief amounts of time on her feet before she can rest by sitting down. Or even that at a restaurant or on a dinner date; it is not a significant amount of time standing.

One time she wore high heels to a hockey game and that was difficult for her to tolerate. Between the walk from the hotel to the arena, then standing in line to get in, then back to a place to eat; it was just too much. Halfway back from the hockey game, despite it being very cold outside (20 degrees f) she took off her shoes and went barefoot. All total, it was probably a mile of walking in her high heels.

Another time I remember where it was too much, was at a funeral for our friend where there was standing room only.

But being taller or shorter than your wife is just one of those things where some men are more comfortable with it than others. I cannot say. I am not tall, but not short either so my perception is far different than some men's, so I cannot judge. For her ex-husband; being shorter really bothered him. I don't hold anything against the man because it did, but forbidding her to wear heels then is the driver for her enjoying wearing them now.

[Cali]

Now let's expand this, how about Ginger from Gilligan's Island always in high heels. Real practical on dirt.

[CrushedVamp]

14 hours ago, Cali said:

Now let's expand this, how about Ginger from Gilligan's Island always in high heels. Real practical on dirt.

So true, which reminded me of the movie Father Goose where for half the movie the woman wore heeled shoes. At least in that case part of the plot was when she was jabbed by a stick and ended up taking them off for much of the rest of the movie, though to be fair its been years since I watched that movie and my memory is a little foggy on the details.

But taking your expanded concept further, I always thought it was in poor costume design in the original show Silk Stalkings when you could always tell what was about to happen. Mitzi Kapture always wore high heels all through the show unless she was in a running/action scene, then the miniskirt and heels came off and in its place pants and sensible shoes worn so she could run or drop-kick the chased after perpetrator. Terrible foreshadowing even in a cheesy 1980's crime drama.

[higherheels]

I only slightly remember game shows from my childhood days, I can't even remember what the models wore.

The concept alone sounds painful already. If we're talking about any serious heel height, it can only become painful by standing all the time.

That's one of the good things about fashion generally going more towards comfortable footwear. I don't think anybody should be forced to wear something that's painful in their job.

 

On 10/11/2025 at 12:46 PM, CrushedVamp said:

I am not sure what constitutes a high tolerance of high heel wear. I say often, "my wife lives in her high heels" and it is true, she wears them often, but her tolerance of them depends on what she is doing.

I think the key point is practice and routine. The second factor is of course the situation. Your described hockey game is a perfect example. I also kind of "live in my high heels", but walking, then standing for a long time, then walking again is also probably my worst-case scenario.

In a comfortable pair with let's say up to a 9 cm heel I will be fine, but with a 12 cm heel or more this can get really uncomfortable, even painful.

[CrushedVamp]

It was because of the hockey game night @higherheels that we started doing something controversial, at least for some of the members on this site, and that was to always have a backup pair of comfortable shoes for my wife. Typically, they are a pair of Keds, which changes the whole formal/informal look I realize, but they are more comfortable for her to wear.

It is controversial because some on here say, "just put up with the pain. By working through it you get better", and others say, "if it hurts stop". I am not sure which is best.

These are Keds just so everyone knows what I am referring too...

 

[mlroseplant]

I cannot think of anybody who has stuck around here saying to put up with the pain. This whole Beauty Is Pain thing is kind of a social media meme at best, and a fetish thing at worst. Having said that, I certainly have gained some experience and endurance over the years between walking thousands of miles in heels, and working farmer's markets with my wife in heels. That covers both the walking and the standing aspects. I have quit bringing backup shoes, because I've never needed to use them. Well, except that one time when I had catastrophic shoe failure. On the other hand, I certainly do not expect everyone to do what I have done, and I think backup shoes are just fine. I always joke that comfort is overrated, but when it comes to actual pain, that 's another story.

[higherheels]

Backup shoes are totally fine! I don't use them myself because I know very well what I can handle in normal circumstances. If something unexpected gets in the way it of course can become uncomfortable or painful, but that's not the norm. 

Generally I'm also in team "if it hurts stop". I don't see any benefits in intentionally getting yourself into pain to become better. In my youth and beginnings with high heels I went this way, and yes I got better. But I'm sure I would've also gotten better the other way, and without pain. I really wouldn't do it like this again and also don't recommend it to anyone.

[Shyheels]

I totally agree. Discomfort is one thing, actual pain is something else and is never something to put up with. Stop, recuperate, find out what caused the issue then fix it or modify whatever you need to prevent it from happening again. I have never done anything silly with heels, but I’ve ignored pain while training for distance running many years ago and learned to regret it.

curiously enough the footware that seems to be most likely to give me problems are Converse trainers (sneakers) I bought a couple pair because I liked the pastel colours and then discovered that the thin rubber soles led to some serious pain in the nerves in the ball of my right foot. I stopped wearing them except on days when I know I won’t have to walk far - ironically not unlike I do with my 12cm stilettos! 

[CrushedVamp]

15 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

I totally agree. Discomfort is one thing, actual pain is something else and is never something to put up with. Stop, recuperate, find out what caused the issue then fix it or modify whatever you need to prevent it from happening again. I have never done anything silly with heels, but I’ve ignored pain while training for distance running many years ago and learned to regret it.

curiously enough the footware that seems to be most likely to give me problems are Converse trainers (sneakers) I bought a couple pair because I liked the pastel colours and then discovered that the thin rubber soles led to some serious pain in the nerves in the ball of my right foot. I stopped wearing them except on days when I know I won’t have to walk far - ironically not unlike I do with my 12cm stilettos! 

This is not surprising as my wife says something similar.

It is almost ironic but the Keds she wears often, (picture several posts ago in this very thread) and keeps as backup shoes, hurt her feet if she does not wear arch supports in those kinds of shoes. The flatness of them is almost worse than some of her high heels. Most of the time with her high heels, her foot pain comes from the vamp pressing on the sides of her toes in being pitched forward. When standing for long bouts of time, heel pain comes from the ball of her foot.

[Shyheels]

Yes, Keds, like Converse, are flat, offer no support and in my case the thinness of the soles gives no cushioning to the nerves in the balls of my feet. They are much more painful than my leather soled stilettos

[higherheels]

2 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I stopped wearing them except on days when I know I won’t have to walk far - ironically not unlike I do with my 12cm stilettos! 

 

1 hour ago, CrushedVamp said:

It is almost ironic but the Keds she wears often, (picture several posts ago in this very thread) and keeps as backup shoes, hurt her feet if she does not wear arch supports in those kinds of shoes. The flatness of them is almost worse than some of her high heels.

What a pity, and at the same time interesting that flats which should apparently be comfortable aren't.

I can't even speak of recent experience because I only have one pair of sneakers left, and use them for working only where I'm not really walking a lot. But yes, they feel like offering no support at all.

 

2 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

Most of the time with her high heels, her foot pain comes from the vamp pressing on the sides of her toes in being pitched forward.

Are you talking about pumps or closed shoes? I never really had this issue.

2 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

When standing for long bouts of time, heel pain comes from the ball of her foot.

This happens to me too, especially with higher heels.

[Shyheels]

Buying sneakers is a real rarity for me. I have nearly always worn boots of some sort, except for cycling or going to the gym. Or many years ago when I used to run marathons. I bought the Converse because I liked the pastel colours and so ironically they’ve  ended up being like @higherheels Hot Chicks - purchased because they looked fun and ended up being left in the closet because they’re hard to wear!

[higherheels]

Haha then I'd rather stick to practicing in Hot Chicks than in Converse 😉

[Shyheels]

39 minutes ago, higherheels said:

Haha then I'd rather stick to practicing in Hot Chicks than in Converse 😉

Me too! 

[CrushedVamp]

18 hours ago, higherheels said:

 

What a pity, and at the same time interesting that flats which should apparently be comfortable aren't.

I can't even speak of recent experience because I only have one pair of sneakers left, and use them for working only where I'm not really walking a lot. But yes, they feel like offering no support at all.

 

Are you talking about pumps or closed shoes? I never really had this issue.

This happens to me too, especially with higher heels.

This is not a great photo as I cropped it out to just a pair of my wife in high heels, but one of her "everyday" high heels. This is typical of her preferred style and taken when we were in the kitchen of our church one day. What I have noticed though is that unlike some peep-toed shoe designs, it seems she likes a peep-toe that is much smaller than some. For instance, hers typically show only 2-1/2 toes whereas some peep-toe designs expose 3-4 toes. I wonder if this causes the toe box to close in squeezing the sides of her feet more???

Keds, by their very design are just super thin and always have been and wearing them my wife always wears arch supports in them. But the trend I am noting now with other sneakers is, a huge push for memory foam for insole construction. I am not sure that is a good trend though. I have had huge problems with my feet and was surprised that having a hard plastic ach support ended up being the answer for me and not super-soft, ineffectual add-in insoles. I use Super-Feet insoles for instance and have used them for 15 years or more. The ones I use cannot be worn with most high heels granted, but I think they have a style that is specifically for high heels if I remember correctly. Either way, I just found out for me stepping on a softer pillow like memory foam does not work better for me.

 

[mlroseplant]

I have my own interesting relationship with insoles and arch support. After many years of experimentation, I never use them. For me personally, they seem to do more harm than good. I've never tried Keds or Chucks, but I'm sure they'd agree with me just fine, given their minimal support.

[higherheels]

12 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

For instance, hers typically show only 2-1/2 toes whereas some peep-toe designs expose 3-4 toes. I wonder if this causes the toe box to close in squeezing the sides of her feet more???

I don't think that's the problem. Just because there is more or less open area at the front doesn't say anything about the shoe's shape.

That's a nice pair by the way!

 

I also tried insoles in the past. But the best they could do for me was to make bad-fitting shoes fit a bit better. Now I'm very picky when buying shoes and since that I never used insoles again.

[CrushedVamp]

I remember once she bought a pair of high heels she liked so much, that even though they were not in her size, she bought the closest ones to fit, a full-size more than she normally wore. To make them fit she put some heel-pads on the back of her pumps and had to have 2 of them stacked up to make the shoes fit. But that's my wife: she loves high heels!

[mlroseplant]

To be fair, I will use a ball-of-foot insert for fitment purposes, where applicable. I never had any luck with them heel grippers. I do have one pair of mules that actually fit better with double foot cushions, but naturally, I rarely wear them because they don't quite fit right.

So here's the weird thing: Many of my favorite shoes are wooden heeled sandals. I've liked that style from my youth. A lot of them do not have any cushioning at all--your foot rests directly on the wood. Despite the hard surface, these tend to be among my more comfortable shoes. I can't explain that, but it did get me off my search for insoles, and moved me toward a different approach to foot comfort.

[Shyheels]

Wood is an excellent shock absorber. It’s why surveyors usually have wooden tripods for their laser surveying gear - it’s not that they can’t or won’t afford carbon fibre but because wood simply dampens vibrations that much better. Photographers, for whom weight is often an issue, waver between carbon fibre and aluminium - wanting the stabilising weight of aluminium, and the easier portability of carbon fibre. But for vibration reduction and stability, neither holds a candle to wood

[CrushedVamp]

21 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

To be fair, I will use a ball-of-foot insert for fitment purposes, where applicable. I never had any luck with them heel grippers. I do have one pair of mules that actually fit better with double foot cushions, but naturally, I rarely wear them because they don't quite fit right.

So here's the weird thing: Many of my favorite shoes are wooden heeled sandals. I've liked that style from my youth. A lot of them do not have any cushioning at all--your foot rests directly on the wood. Despite the hard surface, these tend to be among my more comfortable shoes. I can't explain that, but it did get me off my search for insoles, and moved me toward a different approach to foot comfort.

That is not so surprising to me.

As a hobby woodworker I once read an article about a man who married a woman from the Netherlands, and he researched and got into making wooden shoes like from her home country, and said they were extremely comfortable to wear.

I think my insoles are comfortable because they are so supportive. They are made of hard plastic but really support my high arches. My Sketchers have ads on TV about stepping in pillows because of the memory foam they are made of, but I wholeheartedly disagree.

One of my bucket list items is to make a homemade pair of high heels for my wife, but I have yet to do it.

[mlroseplant]

Like walking on pillows. Who the heck wants to walk on pillows? Sounds like a lot of extra work to me. I'm fine with walking on the ground, thank you. Again, I sound like I'm repeating myself, but I rejected Doc Martens boots for the same reason--too squidgy. I think they created more problems than they solved.

Maybe my wooden shoes are more cushion-y than I give them credit for being, but the point is that I haven't worn any soft shoes to any extent at all for years, and I don't have the foot pain I used to have. There's more to it than that, of course, but my basic reasoning was, "OK, I could walk barefoot on this concrete all day long, no problem. Yet when I wear my cushioned boots, I can barely walk at the end of the day. Why is that?"

[CrushedVamp]

20 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Like walking on pillows. Who the heck wants to walk on pillows? Sounds like a lot of extra work to me. I'm fine with walking on the ground, thank you. Again, I sound like I'm repeating myself, but I rejected Doc Martens boots for the same reason--too squidgy. I think they created more problems than they solved.

Maybe my wooden shoes are more cushion-y than I give them credit for being, but the point is that I haven't worn any soft shoes to any extent at all for years, and I don't have the foot pain I used to have. There's more to it than that, of course, but my basic reasoning was, "OK, I could walk barefoot on this concrete all day long, no problem. Yet when I wear my cushioned boots, I can barely walk at the end of the day. Why is that?"

I realize some of your notations and questions quoted are rhetorical in nature, and rightfully so. I am just not convinced there is an exact fit for all people and all types of feet. I am in no way being argumentative with you here as it seems for me harder insoles… whether added or are part of the original shoe itself, works better for me too. It’s counterintuitive I know, but harder insoles are more comfortable for many of us it seems. That is why it is frustrating to see the latest insole mindset by shoe manufacturers to be in having built-in pillows on everything. Well... maybe for some types of people and types of feet, but certainly not all.

Being an online chatroom where we talk about shoes, I am probably not alone in this, but I am just NOT a barefoot guy, at least not outside. My ex-wife would and could work in a broken glass factory barefoot all day and not be uncomfortable, and was forever barefoot, while I could not walk across a mattress warehouse without wincing. But nonetheless my house is a shoeless house. There are other reasons for that, but my podiatrist said it is best to have proper foot support even at home and to wear supportive slippers, so I bought some but can’t seem to get used to wearing them in the house. I am not sure if that is detrimental to me or not, but at our house shoes come off at the door and its either socks or bare feet after that.

[mlroseplant]

I think we agree that walking on pillows is not the way to go, probably for anybody. Beyond that, yes, I also agree that each person has his own physiology, and therefore has a different solution to each issue. Not unlike the crafts and the trades. Each person has her own way of building something or fixing something.

As far as the barefoot thing goes, I enjoy wearing heels too much to worry about going barefoot so much. I have had to walk home barefoot a couple of times when I experienced catastrophic shoe failure. I can remember wishing for a sign I could carry, saying "My shoe broke." I wouldn't feel that awkward if I were carrying tennis shoes or something, but carrying heels has a stigma to it.

[CrushedVamp]

On 10/18/2025 at 5:03 AM, mlroseplant said:

I think we agree that walking on pillows is not the way to go, probably for anybody. Beyond that, yes, I also agree that each person has his own physiology, and therefore has a different solution to each issue. Not unlike the crafts and the trades. Each person has her own way of building something or fixing something.

As far as the barefoot thing goes, I enjoy wearing heels too much to worry about going barefoot so much. I have had to walk home barefoot a couple of times when I experienced catastrophic shoe failure. I can remember wishing for a sign I could carry, saying "My shoe broke." I wouldn't feel that awkward if I were carrying tennis shoes or something, but carrying heels has a stigma to it.

I am just not a barefoot guy.

A few years ago I was on a hike and my hiking boots were really giving me blisters, enough so I wanted to take them off. We were on a hike where the trail wound through the woods, but a slight walk away and you could take a paved road. I took off my boots and socks and started to hike barefoot down the paved roadway... on a day that it was not hot out and overcast, and even with cool pavement it was too rough for me to do barefoot.

It was bad enough that I put my boots and socks back on and that was with blisters.

My ex-wife, she would go barefoot anywhere and everywhere. I remember once on a New Years Eve night, her heels hurting her feet so much that she went barefoot. That included the walk to the car. I remember it well because there was snow on the ground and -20 below zero (F). Yes... THAT cold and she only had pantyhose on as she walked out to the car.

Another time we were pouring concrete, and yep; off come her shoes and barefoot she went right into the concrete. A feat considering the caustic nature of concrete.