I am a 6'5" woman when I wear heels.
I can make heads turn, men smirk, and women gasp at the pure sight of me.
I love and hate heels for all these reasons and more.
And I would guess, no matter how you feel about them, you’ve probably worn them too.
The Spine Health Institute reports that 72 percent of women will wear high heels in their lifetime.
To some, heels are a nasty habit.
They can even cause spasm-producing spinal nerve conditions.
But we stillwear them.
They recorded females walking in flat shoes, and then again in high heels.
The observers couldn’t see the women their age, their weight or their face.
They could just see the way they moved when they walked.
What happens when you rate a woman on her heel-walking alone?
Apparently, a change in gait.
With heels, there is a reduced stride, and increased rotation and tilt of the hips.
In other words, she struts.
They make us appear more feminine
Morris and his colleagues decided to take ita step further.
But this time, they asked the participants to identify which subjects were females, and which were males.
The key to remember here is, all of the walkers werestillfemale.
With every “male” guess, the participant had mistaken a woman in flats for a man.
Nothing ground-breaking here, but it confirms scientifically what we already assumed.
Heels are girly, ladylike, and feminine.
Certified image consultant, personal stylist and confidence coach,Laurie Brucker, agrees.
The subject of “to heel or not to heel?”
often comes up with her clients.
She is an advocate for thembecausethey make you strut.
That’s exactly what happened toNicole Thorp.
Her employer, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, told her she had to wear shoes with a 2-4-inch heel.
Thorp refused their demands and was sent home without pay.
Or at the very least, a hashtag.
It’s sling backs or stilettos.
Tinseltown, La La Land.
Where heels are considered the style de rigueur, an entry point into a mutual admiration society.
In her world, your car doubles as a moving closet.
She admits, the LA culture is embracing a more fashion-athletic look.
She recently overdressed for a Sunday brunch in Malibu where more casual footwear may have been more acceptable.
But that’s the exception, not the rule.
Evenmoviesshow women wearing heels in impractical situations.
We all know that heels are red carpet staples.
It’s hard to argue with logic like that.
He also timed how long it would take a man to approach a woman sitting at a bar.
The women with flats got approached within 14 minutes.
Except once the flats came off and the heels were strapped on, that time got cut in half.
Pickup lines were happening within seven minutes.
Heels help you be more persuasive
Inanother experiment, Gueguen took the women to the streets.
No, not like that.
He had them stop pedestrians to answer a survey about gender equality.
Could this be applicable to court cases?
Or maybe even convincing husbands to wash the dishes?
They symbolize power
One of the first accounts of people wearing heels dates back to 3500 BC.
Aristocratic men and women wore them for ceremonial purposes.
It has been said the added height set themselves apart or above from the social classes.
Aristocracy, perhaps, doesn’t apply in today’s world.
Women in heels are often women of power.
When I put on 4-inch heels, I become a colossus.
People literally have to crane their necks up to talk to me.
But for my 5'1" friend, heels are an instant confident boost.
Even though her office doesn’t require them, she wears them almost daily.
“I came up in restaurants and I worked with mostly men.
Psychologistsat the universities of Liverpool and Central Lancashire might agree.
The results revealed some harsh truths.
“Wearing heels makes a woman feel in charge because height is the antithesis of power.
She always wants to be taller than her opponent.
The choice is yours
All that said, flats have definitely become morewidely acceptedthan they once were.
As of August 2016, fashion retailer JD Williams reported that flat shoes outsold heels by 148 percent.
According toa studyfrom consumer analyst Mintel, for the first time, women are buying more flats than heels.
And with people like Nicole Thorp leading the charge, more and more women may feel comfortable switching over.
It’s a decision for you.
So, what are your feet wearing tonight?
