Killer heels

In my office, there is somewhat of a double standard for ‘business attire’. Men are expected to wear suits and ties every day. Women, on the other hand, can get away with a lot less – while some women wear suits, many do not, and short sleeves or even sleeveless tops are generally considered acceptable. As a result, some men become embittered. I have one coworker who enjoys remarking sarcastically on my choice of apparel (“Oh, look who decided to wear a t-shirt today”), clearly jealous of my relative freedom of choice. I fully sympathize with his predicament (who would want to wear a suit and tie in hundred degree weather?) and I would encourage all men who feel stifled in terms of their business attire possibilities to try out a blouse and pencil skirt for a change. But before we start too far down the road of lamenting the oppressive confines of masculinity, I’d like to introduce one caveat: the high heel.

It took me approximately one week of blisters, blood and limping to smarten up and do what more and more women are doing: leave my heels at work. Contrary to popular belief, this does not require commuting in hideous white Reeboks, although this is certainly a path followed by the fashion-indifferent. Summer is, of course, the time of the flip flop, which I indulge in on particularly humid days, but there’s no reason not to wear a comfortable pair of flats or sandals – not appropriate for the board room, but not an eyesore if you happen to go out after work.

Going out. Of course, here we get to the meat of the issue: sometimes you want to wear heels when you go out! While an argument might be made (and has, I’m sure) about the patriarchal aesthetics of women’s fashion, I gotta say it: heels are sexy. Unfortunately, sexiness often necessitates dozens of band-aids, painkillers, and/or excessive drinking (“Once I have a few more drinks, I won’t be able to feel my feet”). I am not just talking about 6 inch stilettos (anyone who can walk in those should be given an Olympic medal, if you ask me) I’m talking about basically any women’s “dress” shoe. I recently bought the most comfortable pair of heels I've ever tried on: a pair of Aerosoles with 2” heels, and despite the soft leather and relatively cushy foot bed, inevitably by the end of the night they are killing me. One option, of course, is foot surgery. Luckily, I don’t anticipate owning any Manolos anytime soon, so I won’t have to go under the knife.

What I don’t understand, in this age of technology and modern design, is why on earth it’s so hard to make hot shoes that don’t cripple you! I think that if more designers wore their own shoes that would certainly help (come on, Jimmy, try these on!). Also, it would be great if we could get a celebrity to come out with a line of comfortable high fashion shoes. ‘Xtina’ has a nice ring to it…

But realistically, the best bet is consumer demand. And I’m not necessarily advocating trying to convert the hardcore stiletto-wearers (although if an alternative existed I’m willing to bet they would rather save their foot surgery money to spend on a new pair). I think there are a lot of folks suffering from uncomfortable shoes who would change in a heartbeat. Not to mention the comfort shoe crowd who might be coaxed into a pair of heels – at least once in a while.

I don’t know what it’s gonna take – we either need to pressure high fashion designers to create comfortable models, or pressure comfort shoe manufacturers to create cute, non-clunky styles. Progress is being made – even Jimmy Choo has started designing flats. But there’s a ways to go… the concept of arch support has yet to catch on, and the few almost-comfortable models out there tend to require taking out a third mortgage. It’s time to rally, in the name of health, fashion, feminism, or whatever you want to call it. And let's hurry, my feet are killing me.