[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by Bang!

Oh come on, its not that they don't care, its that whatever you own in Vermont turns to dirt so fast nobody can afford to keep anything nice.

Are you kidding? You couldn't pay me enough to walk around on high heels. Literally! I wouldn't take a job where it was expected. Or pantyhose, ewwwwwww!

I work barefoot (at home) or in neat, comfy shoes when I need to be presentable. Comfy sandals when it's warm enough. High heels? Never.

[arel]

I second that.

There is no good reason to wear high heels. They are unhealthy for the knees, for the Achilles tendon, for the feet and for the back. They make it impossible to move fast in an emergency. They also are, at least to me, very uncomfortable.

Women wear them because they are fashionable and they can be sexy. They show the curve of the calf to good advantage. They please men.

Those are not good enough reasons for me. My comfort, health and safety are more important.

When women ran for their lives on 9/11, if they were wearing high heels they had to take them off and run in their stocking feet. Imagine running in virtually bare feet on the streets of Manhattan, let alone in a disaster area.

Have you noticed that so many women's shoes are destabilizing to the feet? Even low heeled shoes often have the heels tapered so that they are narrower at the bottom than at the top. I heard a theory once that says women's fashions were traditionally designed to limit women's mobility, and make it impossible for them to run away from men.

I do not own a pair of high heels. I bought a pair years ago to impress someone I was interested in. When I was going though old shoes before moving to Vermont, those shoes disintegrated in my hands.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by arel

I heard a theory once that says women's fashions were traditionally designed to limit women's mobility, and make it impossible for them to run away from men.

That's a great story! I'd love to read a psychosocial history of fashion. I read such a history of food (by Reay Tannahill) and it was fascinating.

Meanwhile, I feel lucky to live in Vermont where there aren't expectations to dress for discomfort. I wouldn't do it no matter where I lived.

[mustmove]

I don't buy the women's clothes as a means to slow women down. It is simply human competition for mates. If some women make themselves look more attractive via high heels other women have to wear them as well or settle for a lessor mate.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by mustmove

I don't buy the women's clothes as a means to slow women down. It is simply human competition for mates. If some women make themselves look more attractive via high heels other women have to wear them as well or settle for a lessor mate.

I think you're right. Check out the history of them on Wikipedia.

[arel]

If a man demanded that I wore high heels to please him, I would consider him a lesser mate. And I would probably move on.

[mustmove]

Originally Posted by arel

If a man demanded that I wore high heels to please him, I would consider him a lesser mate. And I would probably move on.

It is not about being asked to wear them by a man, it is choosing to wear them to attract a better man. After you have the man's attention you can lose the high heels. As women often do. I don't see many women in my affluent suburb wearing highheels, but I bet they did before they landed the Mcmansion gig.

[GypsySoul22]

It's just weird to me not to dress up nicely to go to work. I used to hate dressing up but it felt nice to look good to go to an office.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

It's just weird to me not to dress up nicely to go to work. I used to hate dressing up but it felt nice to look good to go to an office.

It depends what "work" means. Some offices are dressier than others, even in Vermont.

Then, too, there's dressing up nicely and there's dressing to kill -- as in killing my back and feet. I dress "business dressy" for meetings and events, and more casually for county fairs & volunteer gatherings, because that's the vibe. But NO HEELS OR PANTYHOSE.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

It's just weird to me not to dress up nicely to go to work. I used to hate dressing up but it felt nice to look good to go to an office.

I absolutely hate dressing up to go to work. What's really annoying is there are people in the library here who wear jeans to work. It must be nice to be on the academic side instead of the administrative side (I work in a college). The only time I don't have to wear a tie is when the students aren't around, but I still have to dress business casual.