Why I Don’t Wear High Heels

A few weeks ago, I came across a chat on Twitter. It involved multiple women complaining about their upcoming summer wedding invites. No, they weren’t anti-wedding, but rather anti-the amount of time they felt they had to spend in heels.

There was a big debate about whether or not it would be acceptable to wear flats, or at least flat sandals.

The general consensus was, despite how much they were not looking forward to this footwear, that heels were mandatory.

I, of course, had some feelings about this.

I don’t wear high heels.

There may be one pair of kitten heels sitting in my closet. That’s what they’re called, right? Little baby heels? Someone check on that for me.

I wear them begrudgingly, and they haven’t seen my feet in almost two years. I hate them. In the two formal weddings to which I felt the need to wear them, I ditched them in favor of flip flops as soon as I could.

Why the disdain for heels?

Well, first of all, they really hurt me. I have struggles with chronic pain and ongoing orthopedic issues, so they’re more offensive to me than most people. It’s easier to keep them out of your life if the pain they cause make you not even want to attend the event you’re wearing them to.

But recently, my aversion has expanded from the “I like to avoid mind numbing pain as much as possible” rationale, and has started to include “These shoes are oppressive”.

A quick Google search about the history of high heels will tell you that they were originally worn by men. Yup, look into it. More recently, heels have become a symbol for feminism and sex appeal for women. Large numbers of all people (mostly men) believe that a woman is more attractive in a pair of high heeled shoes. This, for many reasons, has always been really important in our culture. And so, women all over cram their feet into shoes that could cause long term damage, just to feel like others will find them sexier.

It doesn’t seem worth it.

Now, I realize I am fortune to be in a field, and my own business, that allows me the privilege of deciding what the workplace dress code is for myself. Not everyone is that lucky, and I empathize with women who work in industries in which they feel wearing flat shoes is not an option, despite how unfair that is. I also understand that some women, regardless of the risks and the underlying meaning, really enjoy their high heels. In that case, you do you.

But if you’re like those women who were chatting on Twitter about the dread they felt about their footwear, ask yourself why. Why are high heels mandatory? Are they really? What do you fear would happen if you chose comfort and individuality over tradition?

If it’s pure insecurity, I challenge you to fight that.

I challenge you to fight the stereotype that in order to be attractive in formal wear, women need to wear high heeled shoes that they don’t want to wear and cause pain.

Wear the shoes you want to wear, to whatever event you want to wear them to. You may even feel more attractive than if you had gone for the stilettos because you made the decision that was right, and comfortable, for you.