Why High Heels?
Today, high-heels are typically worn by women, with heights varying from a Cuban heel of 1½” height to a stiletto heel (or spike heel) of 4″ or more. Extremely high-heeled shoes, such as those higher than 5″, are normally worn only for aesthetic reasons and are not considered practical. Court shoes are conservative styles and often used for work and formal occasions, while more adventurous styles are common for evening wear and dancing. High-heels have seen significant controversy in the medical field lately, with many podiatrists seeing patients whose severe foot problems have been caused almost exclusively by high-heel wear.
Reasons for wearing high heels, which are almost exclusively aesthetic, include:
. they change the angle of the foot with respect to the lower leg, which accentuates the appearance of calves
. they change the wearer’s posture, requiring a more upright carriage and altering the gait in what is often considered a seductive fashion.
. they make the wearer appear taller
. they cause the wearer’s legs to look longer
. they make the foot appear smaller
. they make the wearer’s glutial muscles more defined while wearing tight pants
Reasons for not wearing high heels include:
. they can cause foot pain
. they can create foot deformities, including hammertoes and bunions
. they can cause an unsteady gait
. they can shorten the wearer’s stride
. they can render the wearer unable to run
. the altered forces at the knee caused by walking in high heels, may predispose to degenerative changes in the knee joint.
source wikipedia
