JeffB Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 dr1819: Brilliant analysis! I couldn't agree with you more if I had written your words myself. I've always felt heel height is a subjective topic and dependent solely on the wearer's point of view or comfort level. One person might consider two inches high while another looks at five inches in the same way. Height is in the eye of the beholder. Back when I regularly wore four inchers at work, I've co-workers, women, marvel at how I wore heels that high, saying they'd break their ankles if they wore shoes like mine. To hear women say that always amazed me. I also had a particular prejudice in that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything lower than four inches which I'm most comfortable with on a day to day basis. While I can walk in five inchers easily, I find four most suitable for long outings where I'm doing lots of walking, like at the mall. In the end, each person has to make his (or her) determination as to what they consider a minimum or maximum height for heels. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr1819 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 In the end, each person has to make his (or her) determination as to what they consider a minimum or maximum height for heels. Thanks for the thanks, JeffB! Right you are. I was surprised to find that the results were bimodal, with nearly equal, very distinguished peaks at 3 inches and 4 inches. I'd expected a more of a broader, normal distribution centered around 3.5 inches. Personally, I can't explain it, as we've a lot more guys here than women, so it must be something else. Any guesses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I was surprised to find that the results were bimodal, with nearly equal, very distinguished peaks at 3 inches and 4 inches. I'd expected a more of a broader, normal distribution centered around 3.5 inches. Personally, I can't explain it, as we've a lot more guys here than women, so it must be something else. Any guesses? Well, this is hardly a scientific explanation, but perhaps that has something to do with the fact that so few shoes come in half-inch denominations, everything seems to be in whole numbers only these days. Maybe I don't get out enough, but I don't see much in the way of 3 1/2 heel heights, or anything else with a 1/2 on the end. But that's just my uninformed opinion. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 For anybody thats interested, I have now made this into an official survey from the surveys section of the website, just so this thread doesnt get buried in the thousands of threads here... :academic: Heels for Men // Legwear Fashion // HHPlace Guidelines If something doesn't look right, please report the content ASAP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 For anybody thats interested, I have now made this into an official survey from the surveys section of the website, just so this thread doesnt get buried in the thousands of threads here... :academic: RIGHT ON! For some reason, this one refuses to die a natural death. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 The following is a table that my wife and I use when buying her new shoes. 0 – 1.5 inches are flats 1.5 – 3.0 inches are low heels 3.0 – 4.5 inches are regular heels 4.5 – 6.0 inches are high heels 6.0 and up are extreme heels. We know it is not "official" but it made it easier for us to swap out old flats, low and regular heels for high heels and occasionally extreme heels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 The following is a table that my wife and I use when buying her new shoes. 0 – 1.5 inches are flats 1.5 – 3.0 inches are low heels 3.0 – 4.5 inches are regular heels 4.5 – 6.0 inches are high heels 6.0 and up are extreme heels. We know it is not "official" but it made it easier for us to swap out old flats, low and regular heels for high heels and occasionally extreme heels. Well, at least yer not calling 5 inch stilettoes the minimum height for a high heel. But the original question had to do with the minimum height to qualify as a high heel over an an ordinary heel without regard to medium, extreme, stratospheric, or ionospheric heels. For crying out loud, does anybody want to go for AU heels while we're into all kinds of ridiculous discriptions here? (For the neophites out there, 1 AU = approx. 98 million miles) Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaq91 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I say 3.5 inches, because i have never worn heels higher than 4.25 inches. They were stilettos and i loved them. Under 3.75 isnt really a high heel. I love heels, i hope i wear 5 inches & higher one day. banned for not sticking to website rules or guidelines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted January 4, 2007 Author Share Posted January 4, 2007 I say 3.5 inches, because i have never worn heels higher than 4.25 inches. They were stilettos and i loved them. Under 3.75 isnt really a high heel. I love heels, i hope i wear 5 inches & higher one day. Got that! Next time I'll be sure to include AU as one category. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delorean Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 i think 5-6 inches is the best height in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highheellover Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 i consider 3-4 high. Girls and heels rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted January 17, 2007 Author Share Posted January 17, 2007 Okay, that would put you right where the poll says the minimum would be, about 3.5" Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr1819 Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 As of the 123 voters point, the geometric mean height that people consider to be the minimum height for a high heel is 3.474329428 inches. Round that to 3.5 inches (8.8 cm). However, since most voters are male, most males have larger feet than women, and considering the nature of this website, I believe Zappos' definition of 2.75 inches is probably closer to reality, particularly given the conversion factor between your average male foot length and your average female foot length, which places the average at 3.09 inches. However, the mean for all sexes is around 3.25 inches, so I'll go with that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmc Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 As of the 123 voters point, the geometric mean height that people consider to be the minimum height for a high heel is 3.474329428 inches. . . Darn! Missed pi by 0.332736774410206761537 (or thereabouts). Have a happy time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted January 19, 2007 Author Share Posted January 19, 2007 Darn! Missed pi by 0.332736774410206761537 (or thereabouts). Well, not precisely. But there's nothing like a well-rounded approach. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr1819 Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 Well, not precisely. But there's nothing like a well-rounded approach. True... And given just 123 voters, it's only statistically significant to the tenth's digit, anyway, hence my rounding it to 3.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 True... And given just 123 voters, it's only statistically significant to the tenth's digit, anyway, hence my rounding it to 3.5.Tenth digit, no less. Hummm, that 3.5 inches is holding much more solid than I ever anticipated! So I guess I'm really a heeler after all! Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inscapable Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Is ay 3, cause nothing lower feels high. They feel medium, until you get low enough you can't tell your wearing heels. That's about 1-3/4inches for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 I say 3, cause nothing lower feels high. They feel medium, until you get low enough you can't tell your wearing heels. That's about 1-3/4inches for me.Thank you for your response, as I was afraid this thread was going to die of old age. Interestingly enough, your vote for 3" is exactly where I thought this poll would go. But then votes started coming in from the boys from Brazil, and other sundry places, where they think that 5" heels are the minimum, and that rather drastically skewed the numbers upward. Nevertheless, the matematical model seems to be tenaciously clinging to 3.5". Not my notion, but hey, that's what polls are all about. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I'd say that about 3 inches would be it (@ least to my knowlege) it all depends on what a person feels what makes a "high heel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leatherman Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I put my vote in for at least 4", 5" is better and however a 6" stiletto heel is preferred. Thanks, Calvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 I'd say that about 3 inches would be it (@ least to my knowlege) it all depends on what a person feels what makes a "high heel" You know, my mother was 5'2" (exactly the same height as Elizabeth Taylor) and the vast majority of her shoes were about 3" at the heel. She did have some higher ones and I have worn some of her 5" plats (in my pre-teen years). So to my notion, a 3" heel is every bit a high heel. Now I've never disputed the fact that higher heels exist. Right here on this forum, we have pics of people wearing much higher heels. But whenever some tries to claim that a shoe must have a 5" heel to be considered a high heel - well that rather begs the question of that individual's grip on reality. There are any number of experienced high heel wearers who simply couldn't manage a 5" heel. So when I started this poll, I expected a short but firm survey that would pretty much establish 2.5" to 3" as the minimum height for a high heel. What happened was anything but what I expected. Of a sudden, we had all manner of people claiming heels of such preposterous heights that no manufacturer would dare make shoes in that range and expect to stay in business. For a while it began to look like a "can you top this?" contest - which was not what the poll is about. But perhaps equally bewildering, was the notion that the minimum height is some subjective value - ergo, what's high for me ain't high for you; or what I wear in the daytime is different from the minimum I wear in the evening. Again, that's not what the poll was intended to establish. All I wanted to find out was what size heel would be the minimun you'd expect to find in the high heels section of your shoe store. Again, I expected a number somewhere around 3". What I got was a roller-coaster ride with more twists and turns than a barrel of fishhooks. Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high_55 Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 i voted for 4" because that's the height that makes me feel i'm wearing high heels, pretty sexy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 i voted for 4" because that's the height that makes me feel i'm wearing high heels, pretty sexy too.Okay, so 4" is your preference for a high heel. But is 4" the minimum height that you would consider to be a high heel? Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I like to wear 3 inch heels,. but just bought a 5 inch pair of mary janes, and can't wait to wear them with my jeans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedesigner Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 oh gawd ive got the answer right again. Didnt look b4 voting. Anything 3" or below is ordinary, i said 3 3/4" as the minimum height but ive only tiny feet and for me 5" is hard work for no gain. 4" pointy feels right and is an all day height. It all depends on yr size, 4" on size 11 must be like a flea bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy N. Heels Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 oh gawd ive got the answer right again. Didnt look b4 voting. Anything 3" or below is ordinary, i said 3 3/4" as the minimum height but ive only tiny feet and for me 5" is hard work for no gain. 4" pointy feels right and is an all day height. It all depends on yr size, 4" on size 11 must be like a flea bite. Well, there really is no "right" answer. There really isn't any wrong answer either, except those that are so preposterous as to beg the question of what the guy's been smoking these days? Keep on stepping, Guy N. Heels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high_heels Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 For me, the minimum height for a high heel is 4". 3" is more like a medium heel height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shyguy Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I'd say anything above 3" could be considered high heel, but my wife considers 2" and above high. I guess it's a subjective thing, and each individual will have their own idea of what they consider to be a high heel. But this poll does seem to have brought out a oneupmanship style contest. I guess there's a lot of testosterone around despite the high heels being discussed:lmao: He was so narrow minded he could see through a keyhole with both eyes. Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shus Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I find 8 cm becomes high, especially in the smaller sizes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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