Why Do Women Wear High Heel Shoes?

In the last few months, I have been feeling some excruciating pains in my back and it seems this has transported to my left toe. I worry going to the GP will waste time and well I know what he/she might say “lay off heels and get some flat shoes”. Just like they always say! So like any smart young lady will do, I decided to keep on some painkillers and accept it will go away in time. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I cannot live on painkillers for the rest of my life. I need to do something drastic that would relief the pain- and fast. So I am opting for flat shoes! It seemed like the scariest thought I’ve ever had.  This is proving rather difficult after a week. Much effort is needed to accomplish this aim. In respect of this, I embarked on a research leap to find out- why women wear heels. Why women chose to ignore the evasive discomfort to mere pleasure- if at all is it pleasure when it hurts. Logically, the answer is simple- we just feel good in it.

 

Personally, I heart high-heeled shoes because they are attractive. The thought of not wearing them anymore really scares me. They are elegant in shape, supports good body posture and most of all created for different fashion styles. My favourite “Rouge” heel as seen in the picture below is styled with an African print. 

Recent research by the savvy foot care company Compeed revealed that British women wear high heel shoes than their European counterparts. British women on average wear a 3.3inches heel compare to 2.4inches in France and 2.7 in Germany. From this result, I can fairly interpret this information by concluding that British women on average are shorter than women in France and Germany. British women admitted to endure the pain caused by high heels because they are perceived as prestige. Hence, perception is a key factor to women’s decision to wear high heels.

So what are the medical effects of wearing such high heels?

A study by Dr. Kerrigan et al explored the effects of footwear on the knees. Their result showed high relationship between heels and strains on the knees. Therefore, all heels have detrimental effect on the knees which is likely to cause osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis otherwise known as wear-and-tear arthritis is as a result of degeneration of cartilage in the joint resulting to severe pain and loss of motion in the joint. That is not all; wide-heel shoes are of greater risk than narrow heel shoes because greater force is placed on them. So if you are opting for wider heels with the assumption that it is safer and low-risk to your muscle- think again!

So is it worth it? I think not!

From my findings, it is clear that all heeled shoes have incurable health effects. They can be controlled with painkillers, but is that a wise lifestyle when you can purchase fashionable flats less than your health value.

Be smart, Be fashionable!

 

Article by: Eighteen Forever

Photo credit: Eighteen Forever

 

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