It's enlightenment philosophy's fault that women wear high heels instead of men

The first time a woman put on high heels, she wasn't trying to be uber feminine. Quite the opposite. In 17th century northern Europe, only men wore high heels, and so the first women to try them out were actually going for a masculine look.

Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada, uncovered the history of the high heel after she organized an exhibition around Chinese foot binding and realized that many visitors were fascinated by this unfamiliar practice, but incurious about how women came to wear high-heeled shoes. Semmelhack traced the heel to 10th century Persian men, soldiers who wore them while riding on horseback; heels helped them stay in their stirrups. Men in England and Holland would have become acquainted with this look by the mid-16th century, when they traded textiles in what by then had become the Iranian empire and would have encountered the empire's large mountain military. By the 17th century, aristocrat European men were also wearing heels.

"There was a fashion trend at the time for some women, those willing to take sartorial risks, to borrow from the male wardrobe," says Semmelhack. Some European women started to wear hats with large plumes, stomachers (decorative triangle panels on the front of women's gowns) that looked like doublets and, around 1620, a few were even accused of carrying weapons in a bid to look more masculine. "It was seen as both fashionable and daring," says Semmelhack—though, of course, they faced ridicule from some corners. "There's been no time in history when women haven't been criticized for what they wear and this is no exception," she adds.

The first time a woman put on high heels, she wasn't trying to be uber feminine. Quite the opposite. In 17th century northern Europe, only men wore high heels, and so the first women to try them out were actually going for a masculine look.

Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada, uncovered the history of the high heel after she organized an exhibition around Chinese foot binding and realized that many visitors were fascinated by this unfamiliar practice, but incurious about how women came to wear high-heeled shoes. Semmelhack traced the heel to 10th century Persian men, soldiers who wore them while riding on horseback; heels helped them stay in their stirrups. Men in England and Holland would have become acquainted with this look by the mid-16th century, when they traded textiles in what by then had become the Iranian empire and would have encountered the empire's large mountain military. By the 17th century, aristocrat European men were also wearing heels.

"There was a fashion trend at the time for some women, those willing to take sartorial risks, to borrow from the male wardrobe," says Semmelhack. Some European women started to wear hats with large plumes, stomachers (decorative triangle panels on the front of women's gowns) that looked like doublets and, around 1620, a few were even accused of carrying weapons in a bid to look more masculine. "It was seen as both fashionable and daring," says Semmelhack—though, of course, they faced ridicule from some corners. "There's been no time in history when women haven't been criticized for what they wear and this is no exception," she adds.

High heels—less practical than flat-heeled shoes for anyone not on horseback—soon became associated with supposedly female traits of frivolity and irrationality. By the 19th century, in Europe, the heel was "unassailably feminine," notes Semmelhack. Then European imperialism spread this idea around the world. "Once European men abandoned the heel in the early 18th century, the meaning becomes so hyper feminized that as imperialism goes global, those are the meanings that are brought with the high heel."

But though high heels today have an unquestionably feminine association, Semmelhack says the meaning is far from intrinsic. "Heels are just things. They can be given any meaning we decide they have," she says. So could men start wearing heels once more? "Anything's possible."

Moderation necessary to avoid negative effects of high heels

CLARKSBURG — Warmer weather provides a great opportunity for dressing up, and for many women that includes slipping on a pair of high heels to complete the look. It also means millions of teenage girls are sliding into stilettos for prom.

Although occasional wearing high heels will likely only lead to lingering health problems in the event of a fall, consistently sporting the footwear can affect the feet, knees, hips and back, according to local health-care professionals.

"It affects the biomechanical walking pattern, the gait pattern, of the entire lower extremity," said Justin Brewer, a physician's assistant at the United Orthopaedic and Spine Center in Bridgeport.

The change in walking pattern can place stress on the inside of the knee joint, potentially causing arthritis over time, he said.

The likelihood for developing knee arthritis increases in by 20 percent in those who are overweight, Brewer said.

Others can be genetically predisposed to knee problems and knee arthritis. The risk also increases as the heel height increases, he said.

Studies have also indicated biomechanical stress on the hips and lower back, he said.

According to Clarksburg podiatrist Dr. Keith Newman, his two concerns for those who wear heels 2 inches or higher would be the effects from the increased load on the forefoot and the potential for adaptation of the Achilles tendon.

The Achilles tendon may shorten in individuals who wear heels as it adapts to the shortened position from the higher heeled shoe, he said.

"Some people will adapt over years or decades of use, and then they may not be able to wear flat shoes effectively anymore without pain," Newman said.

For those who want to minimize risk of developing complications from high heels, Brewer recommends limiting use.

"Everything in medicine and everything in life is moderation," he said.

Brewer said the people at his practice who seem to be most likely to have issues from wearing heels are those who are overweight or wear the shoes six to eight hours a day.

Those who are already experiencing pain from wearing heels should discontinue wearing them, he said.

Switching to low-impact exercises like biking, swimming or an elliptical machine will help keep reduce stress on the joints, he said.

"Losing weight, of course, will also help take the stress off the knee," he said.

Those who choose to wear the heels anyway should look for shoes with cushion for the metatarsal bones that connect to the toes.

Newman also recommended moderating the amount of time spent in high heels, but acknowledged that there are people who will wear the shoes regardless of the potential impacts on the body.

Those people "will want to make sure (the shoe is) well-cushioned, because you're pressing your luck over a number of years," he said.

Cushions can also be purchased separately that can be worn on the foot or placed into the shoe.

To help prevent shortening of the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone, Newman recommended a calf stretching regimen. His favorite is a straight-leg calf stretch in which the individual lunges forward toward a wall while keeping the back leg straight with the heel flat on the floor.

He actually recommends these stretches for anyone. "I do them myself. I'm a strong believer," he said.

Of course, those experiencing pain can see their healthcare provider.

"We'll evaluate the patient, get an X-ray, see if they're starting to develop knee arthritis and see what kind of damage has been done to the knee joint," he said.

High heels are the worst, and women are finally ditching them

Amanda Powers hasn't worn high heels in years: not to work, not to parties, not even to her own wedding.

"They're not comfortable," she said. "They're not fun to wear. Not to mention, I walk fast and they slow me down."

Across the country, women are trading in their high-heeled stilettos for sneakers and ballet flats. Workplaces are becoming more casual, and it is increasingly acceptable to wear sneakers to dinner. But analysts say there are other changes afoot, too: More Americans are working from home, and those who do go into the office are more often walking to work. (In Washington, for example, 14 percent of residents now commute by foot, up from 12 percent in 2012, according to census data.) Fitness trackers like the Fitbit have also made people more aware of how much they are — or should be — moving.

"Even after we get to work, we're trying not to sit at our desks all day," said Katie Smith, director of retail analysis at Edited. "We stand. We take the stairs. We walk to lunch. We're constantly counting our steps, so it makes sense to wear comfortable footwear and clothing."

Sales of high heels dropped 12 percent last year, while sales of women's sneakers rose 37 percent to $2.3 billion, according to the NPD Group's retail tracking service.

The sales decline wasn't because of lack of options: High-heel inventory rose 28 percent from the year before, according to Edited, a London-based retail technology company. And the sagging sales didn't have much to do with price: About one-third of high heels had been discounted by an average of 47 percent.

"This is not a burn-your-heels moment — the majority of women still have heels in their wardrobes," Smith said. "But there isn't an expectation anymore that if I go to a party, I have to put on my spiky heels, stand for two hours and then want to die. Social mores are changing."

It doesn't hurt that flats — which are popping up on runways and the red carpet — are having a pop culture moment, either. Marc Jacobs's latest fashion show featured models in silk lace-up brogues and crystal-embellished ballet flats, while actress Gal Gadot wore gladiator sandals to the "Wonder Woman" premiere. Even first lady Melania Trump, known for her love of high-end high heels by Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik, traded in her stilettos for a pair of white sneakers last year for a trip to Texas after Hurricane Harvey.

Tech giants are also taking note: A ballet-flat emoji is slated to make its debut later this year.

"Across the board, there's an increasing casualization of every occasion, including at work," Smith said. "We're dressing in jeans and sneakers. We're dressing for comfort and function."

Recent surveys show that women are buying more athletic shoes and sandals than they are dress shoes or fashion boots, according to market research firm Mintel. Nearly half of those surveyed said they are willing to pay more for shoes that are comfortable.

High-heel makers, many of which had their heyday in the "Sex and the City" era of the early 2000s, have weathered a wave of consolidation in recent years. Michael Kors last year paid $1.2 billion to buy Jimmy Choo, the upscale shoe company. Two years earlier, Coach bought Stuart Weitzman for $574 million.

"People are multitasking more these days — they're going from yoga class to work, then from happy hour to pick up their kids, and they don't want to change into four different outfits," said Alexis DeSalva, retail and apparel analyst at Mintel. "Flat shoes have become a staple in multipurpose dressing."

Nike last week announced a new retail concept, called Unlaced, that will specialize exclusively in women's sneakers. The company is also expanding its lineup of women's sizes and, earlier this year, released its first collection of sneakers designed entirely by a team of 14 women. There are also signs that Crocs, Tevas, Uggs and Birkenstocks — all known for being comfortable, if less than attractive — are making a comeback.

As for Powers, the marketing director in Los Angeles, she now has just one pair of heels — "very modest" black pumps — left in her closet. She has given away the rest and, instead, stocked up on the shoes she likes to wear: a dozen pairs of sneakers and at least 25 pairs of flats.

"I am never going back," she said. "As soon as I stopped wearing high heels, it was a taste of sweet freedom."

The real reason men find high heels attractive?

It might make women think twice before putting on high heels for a date.

Men find the shoes attractive not because they are glamorous or give the illusion of longer legs but because they make a woman arch her back – which is a signal that she is ready for sex, a study suggests.

It seems to be not the stilettos or kitten heels which are important, but the angle of a woman's back to her bottom.

The theory was tested by showing men photographs of women wearing heels or flats, but with the picture cropped at their ankles.

The closer their back arched to an optimum angle of 45 degrees, the more likely men were to find them attractive.

The authors, led by Dr David Lewis at Murdoch University in Australia, state that this arched back in high heels may communicate information about a woman's 'openness to mating advances'.

In many animals, arching of the lower back is a signal of sexual proceptivity – the tendency to engage in behaviour which instigates or 'promotes' sex.

The study states: 'Because no high-heeled shoes were present in any of the Study 2 stimuli, the current findings cannot be explained by an association between high-heeled footwear and perceptions of women's sexuality, a media-constructed preference for high-heeled shoes, or any other reason that men might have a preference for the shoes themselves.

For the same reason, hypotheses suggesting that high heels influence men's judgments of women because of the appearance or colour of the shoes cannot account for the current findings.'

The researchers recruited 56 women in tight clothing to be photographed in flat shoes, before providing five-inch heels for them to wear.

The photographs, cropping out the women's faces as well as their shoes, were shown to 82 men to be rated for attractiveness.

Two years ago the theory was first proposed that men were most attracted to women with a back curving exactly 45 degrees above the top of her bottom.

The findings provided an explanation for the sex symbol status of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, as 'buttock mass' was found to increase the angle.

The latest study supports this theory, with men finding women in heels most attractive when they were closest to the 45-degree angle.

The researchers also found men were more attracted to female celebrities when they were wearing heels, and that the shoes changed the arch of women's backs by approximately two degrees.
Explaining why this 'lumbar curvature' angle of 45 degrees is so important, the study states: 'Lumbar curvature may also communicate information about a woman's openness to matign advances – in other mammalian species, lordosis behaviour (i.e. arching of the lower back) is a sign of sexual proceptivity.'

The authors say celebrities, dressed up to enhance their appearance, may arch their back even more to look more beautiful in heels.

An arched back may also be attractive to men, as an evolutionary signal that women are fit for bearing their children, the researchers suggest.

During pregnancy, too much curvature of the spine would have been associated with risks like herniated discs, and not enough curvature would have been associated with muscle fatigue and injury.

The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Men fancy women in heels even when they cannot see the shoes, researchers found.

Are killer high heels killing your feet and damaging your health?

A beautiful pair of Louboutin or Jimmy Choo shoes with high heels might make you feel a million dollars but they come at a price to your health.

Naturally, there's the issue of toppling over after a few gin and tonics but experts are worried that killer heels are causing health problems for women.

And perhaps a few men as well.

The general rule of thumb is that the higher the heel, the greater the damage.

How high is too high?

This depends. Understandably, high heels cause problems for feet. They put pressure on the front of your foot.

A two-inch heel increases pressure on the ball of your foot by about 52% with each step. Wearing a three-inch heel will increase that pressure to 79%.

This extra strain on the forefoot can lead to hammer-toe deformities, bunions, callouses and Morton's neuroma, a thickening of the nerves between the toes which can cause pain and numbness.

Jan Vickery, lead physiotherapist at AXA PPP healthcare , said: "If you wear high heels daily you may also find that your Achilles tendon at the back of your ankle changes, becoming tight, thickened and shortened.

 Body and sole

High heels tend to push your body weight forward and so you need to work harder to counteract this and prevent yourself from toppling over.

This can place extra strain on your knees and can even alter the natural curvature of your back. This can lead to knee and back pain. If you already have problems in these areas, wearing heels for extended periods could make them worse.

"High heels can be a great fashion accessory but, from the point of view of the foot, wearing high heels habitually isn’t a good idea. The joints of the feet can be damaged by wearing high heels, and this can cause deformities and some forms of arthritis," said Jan.

 A time to heel

Keeping your high heels for special occasions will save you some of the problems that come from wearing them on a daily basis. For everyday wear, try to keep to heels no more than about 1¼ high.

Jan recommends moderation.

"Wear your heels for as short a period as possible, taking them off when you need to walk longer distances or when you’re sitting, and carry some flat, supportive shoes to change into."

Designer Vivienne Westwood would probably not agree.

She said: "Shoes must have very high heels and platforms to put women's beauty on a pedestal."

Listen to your body

Taking care of your feet doesn’t mean a lifetime in flats. These tips should help you reduce the impact that wearing high heels has on your feet and body.

"Try some shock absorbing pads and callous protectors for the parts of your feet that hurt the most. You should find these in most chemists," said Jan.

"When you take your high heels off, move your foot in a circular motion. Stretch your Achilles tendon by stretching your legs out in front of you and pushing your heels down and your toes up or stand with your front foot on a step, keeping your knee straight drop your heel below the stair level.

"Keep fit and work on your overall body posture and muscle tone. Pilates-type exercises are excellent for building good postural control.

"Wear shoes with varying heel heights. This will give your tendons and joints a rest from holding the same position.

"Most of all, listen to your body. You’ll know when high heels are placing too much strain on your body."

I Tried Wearing Wonder Woman Heels For A Day, But I Am Only Human

Wonder Woman truly is a goddess among mortals. You know how I know that? Because I literally tried walking in her shoes for an entire day.

When the first stills for Wonder Woman came out back in March 2016, I was struck by a seemingly insignificant detail: Why were all these Amazonian warriors wearing heels?

I wasn't the only one to notice this — soon enough, the internet started to weigh in. Hadn't we been through this with Jurassic World? Isn't it tough enough for women to break into the superhero space, without having them overcome debilitating foot pain? (This, it turns out, wasn't the only problem with the Wonder Woman costume. Gal Gadot told Jimmy Kimmel that initially the outfit was so tight, she could barely breathe.

At the time, director Patti Jenkins — who, by the way holds the distinction of being the first woman to direct a major superhero blockbuster film — weighed in, explaining that the heels represented her "wish fulfillment."

"I, as a woman, want Wonder Woman to be hot as hell, fight badass, and look great at the same time — the same way men want Superman to have huge pecs and an impractically big body, she told Entertainment Weekly. "That makes them feel like the hero they want to be. And my hero, in my head, has really long legs."

That's valid — I sometimes find heels empowering. And while I would assume sneakers would be more appropriate footwear for defending civilization, I have never attempted to fight crime in flats either, so who am I to judge?

A short time later, Gal Gadot made her first appearance as Wonder Woman in Batman vs. Superman. I paid close attention to her shoes, perhaps the only thing worth watching in that dumpster fire of a film. Rather than something as ridiculous as stilettos, Gadot was clad in a more sensible wedge heel, her ankles and calves supported by gladiator-like armor.

With every Wonder Woman trailer that followed, the question of how a woman would go about crouching and kneeling and sword-fighting in 4-inch heels nagged at me. So, I decided — why don't I try wearing her shoes for a day?

Full disclosure: Wonder Woman cosplay is expensive. Full costumes can run up to $1,500 on Etsy. Instead, I turned toward my own closet, to a pair of J-Crew wedges I had bought years ago when I decided I wanted to be a person who wore 4-inch wedges to work in New York City. (I am not that person.) I very unscientifically deduced that they looked roughly the same height as the shoes Wonder Woman sports in the new, updated version of her character. Lynda Carter also wore heels in the TV series that ran from 1975 - 1979, but hers were thinner, curved heels, rather than wedges.

I set forth from my apartment on the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day, well-rested from a three-day weekend. It's a 10-minute walk to my office, a fact I usually brag about and relish. That morning, not so much. The commute was okay, but it wasn't the easy breezy walk I was used to. I had to pay attention where I walked — New York sidewalks are notoriously uneven, not a friend to those of us perched on non-flexible stilts.

Things got easier once I got to the office, but mostly because I was sitting down most of the time.

The ultimate goal of this day was to have me run in heels, a la Wonder Woman crossing the No Man's Land between German and British forces in World War I. But as the day went on, I got more and more nervous. Sure, walking to and from the kitchen was a breeze, and at times, I found myself thinking that this wearing heels thing wasn't so bad after all. But I also started to get Final Destination-style premonitions, visions of myself lying on the pavement with a broken ankle.

So, yes, I chickened out of that part. But I did record a glimpse of what it roughly would have looked like. This is me run-shuffling down the Refinery29 hallway. (I also attempted to crouch. There is no video evidence of this.

Just like Wonder Woman, amirite?

In all seriousness, this experiment did prove something to me: I am only human. As is Gal Gadot, who reportedly wore sneakers underneath her gold armored spats while shooting, later CGI'd into the infamous wedges, and also made waves at the film's premiere by wearing flat sandals under gown, declaring: "They're more comfortable." Duh. When I got home, my feet were swollen, my toes red from the pressure of being pushed forward — not a good look, nor is it practical for physical exertion.

Men don high heels for Walk in Her Shoes event

EDINBURG — Stop the violence in the community was the message of the Mujeres Unidas/Women Together 8th Annual Run/Walk and High-Heel Challenge on Saturday at Edinburg Municipal Park.

The event, appropriately called Walk In Her Shoes, had men walking, or trying to walk, in heels as part of a community-based effort to draw attention to the issues of women and family violence.

Nelda Hernandez, Mujeres Unidas volunteer coordinator, said they sought men to participate so they could see what women go through and become motivated "to stop the violence."

The high-heel shoes were donated for the event and came in various sizes and styles. Men could only hope to find a pair that would fit them for the walk around the park.

Mark Arteaga, 25, of McAllen, participated for the first time in the challenge as part of the Lacks Striders team and chose his heels based on comfort.

"I did it to show support of women and those who have been abused," Arteaga said.

The event was one of many around the nation marking April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

In Texas, 4.2 million women and 2.1 million men have experienced some form of sexual assault in their, according to a report by The University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work.

Mujeres Unidas is a nonprofit organization that began in 1978 dedicated to providing support services to victims of domestic violence and the survivors of sexual assault. They also offer educational and prevention programs to the community.

Mission resident Carlos Villarreal also participated in High-Heel Challenge for the first time to show support on the issue and was himself a victim of domestic violence.

"I never realized there was support for the gay community — Mujeres Unidas rocks," Villarreal said about being a survivor.

Gustavo Correa, 23, of Alamo, who was also a first-time participant, won the High-Heel Challenge. He received a trophy decorated with a part of heels and mentioned that his legs hurt after doing the walk.

"I feel women should be empowered to stand-up for themselves and sometimes they don’t feel empowered, so we’re here to encourage them." Correa said about joining the challenge.

Volunteers from various companies participated in the walk or as cheerleaders to encourage the competitors, including representatives from GAP, Kohls and Sierra Title Company, among others.

Comfortable high heels in six easy steps

1. Whoever said you had to suffer to be beautiful had not discovered Sargossa. We put this label in the Measure back in July, when we discovered it; I wore my Momentum sandals all summer. The Sargossa label is based on a patent-pending, super-comfortable sole with medical-grade padding. It works. They are not cheap (about £160-£200) but they are worth it.

2. On the subject of money: cheap high heels rarely work. High-street labels that are aimed at 17-year-olds have very pretty shoes, yes. But don’t come crying to me when your feet are in shreds. I suspect 17-year-olds have higher pain thresholds, possibly connected to their higher tolerance for alcohol. Marks & Spencer’s shoe department, on the other hand, can be an unexpected treasure trove: I love this suede boot.

3. Which brings us to boots and ankle support. The traditional, open-front court shoe is the least comfortable kind of shoe you can wear, as your foot has to grip on to the sole. Anything that holds your foot across the front will be more comfortable (see my picks in points one and two). A shoe such as this Carvela cage-front sandal will be much more comfortable than a more bare shoe. The lace-up-front high heel is much-worn by high-heel pros (see: super-stylist and front row star Sophia Neophitou), as it looks fancy and hot but is surprisingly comfortable.

4. The cobbler is your friend. Get your heel tips replaced frequently and your shoes resoled when they wear out. Buy leather insoles for added comfort. Shoe comfort depends on engineering, and engineering requires maintenance.

5. Be ruthless about editing your choice, and only consider heel heights you can actually manage. 100mm is a standard height for many labels – but most women can only actually manage 70mm. If you have two pairs of 100mm heels and you seldom wear them, do NOT buy any more: look for 50-70mm. They are surprisingly hard to find, but worth seeking out.

6. Last resort: when I go out to a fancy fashion party, I wear high heels and carry a tiny clutch bag but I bend one Cocorose foldable ballet slipper in each of my coat pockets.

Comfortable high heels in six easy steps

1. Whoever said you had to suffer to be beautiful had not discovered Sargossa. We put this label in the Measure back in July, when we discovered it; I wore my Momentum sandals all summer. The Sargossa label is based on a patent-pending, super-comfortable sole with medical-grade padding. It works. They are not cheap (about £160-£200) but they are worth it.

Marks and Spencer suede boot, £59 Photograph: PR

2. On the subject of money: cheap high heels rarely work. High-street labels that are aimed at 17-year-olds have very pretty shoes, yes. But don’t come crying to me when your feet are in shreds. I suspect 17-year-olds have higher pain thresholds, possibly connected to their higher tolerance for alcohol. Marks & Spencer’s shoe department, on the other hand, can be an unexpected treasure trove: I love this suede boot.

Carvella sandal, £120 Photograph: PR

3. Which brings us to boots and ankle support. The traditional, open-front court shoe is the least comfortable kind of shoe you can wear, as your foot has to grip on to the sole. Anything that holds your foot across the front will be more comfortable (see my picks in points one and two). A shoe such as this Carvela cage-front sandal will be much more comfortable than a more bare shoe. The lace-up-front high heel is much-worn by high-heel pros (see: super-stylist and front row star Sophia Neophitou), as it looks fancy and hot but is surprisingly comfortable.
4. The cobbler is your friend. Get your heel tips replaced frequently and your shoes resoled when they wear out. Buy leather insoles for added comfort. Shoe comfort depends on engineering, and engineering requires maintenance.
5. Be ruthless about editing your choice, and only consider heel heights you can actually manage. 100mm is a standard height for many labels – but most women can only actually manage 70mm. If you have two pairs of 100mm heels and you seldom wear them, do NOT buy any more: look for 50-70mm. They are surprisingly hard to find, but worth seeking out.

Cocorose shoe, £85 Photograph: PR

6. Last resort: when I go out to a fancy fashion party, I wear high heels and carry a tiny clutch bag but I bend one Cocorose foldable ballet slipper in each of my coat pockets

How To Wear High Heels Without Pain Easily

As all good things have a bad side so are the shoes with high and fashionable heel. Apart from being too expensive the shoes are also not recommended for your health. Wearing the high heels for long duration can threaten your health and result in physical ailment. In serious cases the damage can be long lasting. However it does not mean that you will not wear them instead my indication is, be a bit cautious while you wear them.

Every fashion show in the city will display some of the spellbound designer shoes with high heels. These shoes are usually worn by show stoppers or other ramp walker, this is an industry where the word immaculate is meant for everyone at every moment. Apart from fashion world the numerous professions that demands flawless and smart presentation. The sound of the heel as you walk down the corridor creates an awesome feeling. But at the end of the day those nagging back ache will make you forget and curse the activities you did in office. In this article we will talk about ways and means by which you can avoid those persisting problems and yet wear one of your favorite sandals with high heels.

It is always advisable to wear shoes of known and popular brand. Avoid using cheap shoes .Since shoes are inseparable from us in our professional life shoes manufactured from cheap materials may result in physical complication.

The shoes that you choose make sure have optimum area for the proper movement of the feet. By maintaining the same position for long hours at an elevated mode, our feet may likely to experience cramps. Thus if the shoe has sufficient space you can move the ankles and fingers.

You must buy shoes that have padding in their soles. This kind of shoes will provide a soft base to your feet and keep them stress free.

You can also place those gel pads in the front part of your shoe to make sure the fingers are comfortable enough for long hours.

Before you wear the shoes make sure to trim off the toe nails. It is a fact that big toe nails will push the feet back and also pushes the toe nails toward the wall of the shoes. This can result in severe injury to the toes. Sometimes you may also have broken toe nails in case you fall down.

Maintaining a right posture is extremely important when you wear shoes with high heels. It is better to maintain an erect position every time you are on your toes. This position will help you to maintain the balance of your body. If the posture is correct you can avoid unnecessary strain on your feet and legs.

Though you abide by all the do's and don'ts list while wearing high heel shoes yet there are chances that you will hurt yourself. The main reason is that you are wearing them for long hours. The moment you re elevating your feet according to the plane of the shoe you are maintaining an artificial position and is working against the gravity which might be harmful if continued for long hours. What you can do is open the shoes every time you are in your desk and keep your feet on the ground and relax them for few minutes.