Thursday, October 14, 2010

Start Wearing Flats

I recently read an article by The Guardian's fashion writer Hadley Freeman -and I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. In it she urged women to ditch high heels, and I couldn't agree with her more. So now you know I am not a fan.

But I haven't been brave enough not to wear them altogether in my life, either. High heels, I mean, not your average two or even three inches. It has been particularly hard for me to withstand peer pressure, media pressure, celebrities pressure, fashion industry pressure and so on and so forth. High heels are considered a symbol of femininity, which I find a terribly sexist idea, unfortunately endorsed by countless people. It seems there is an orchestrated effort to convince us all that this is the norm and in reality, keep us from living life to the fullest.

I believe it's pressure that actually makes us do things that we would not do otherwise, and wearing high heels is one of them. I don't remember ever feeling sexy or cool wearing high heels for more than ten minutes; quite the contrary, I have felt way too tired to do anything, completely incapable of having fun, and certainly not confident, since admitting to not be feeling good in high heels is like admitting to not being female at all!

So I decided to speak my mind loudly on this matter from now on, and this post is only the beginning. No more four or five inch heels at work or even in parties! Besides, the higher they get, the trashier they look, am I right, or am I right?

Am I the only one who thinks like that? Enter your comments below, to let me know how you feel.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the nicest, coolest, sexiest looking flats one can find on Etsy!



































7 comments:

  1. I like both, but high heels do seem to be irritating in more ways than flats. My foot slides forward. If its cold out my heels slide out. I feel awkward in them. I think for people with a high arch they are great.

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  2. I see what you mean. The highest I am comfortable in is 3.5 inches, and it has to be a quality pair, to support the arch well. But it seems that high street shop windows are increasingly showing heels that start at 4 inches, and reach heights of 5 or 6 inches, or higher - which only a little while ago was considered fetish, and could only be found in the basement of quality shops. How come have such heights suddenly become so ridiculously fashionable, that all shops have to include them in their collection? It's beyond my understanding... I say sabotage them, go flats all the way!!!

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  3. I have been wearing high heels not for a life time and I think they provide that "sexy" and "power" edge that flats don't. But I surely agree with you on the pain and distress that they can cause to your feet. On the other hand I have had distressing experiences with non-heel shoes...(I almost spelled heel as hell...you could call your theme hell heel shoes! I was saying: A middle solution would be pointy shoes (not that rounded shoes aren't the cutest but they are not sexy) with a little bit of heel, enough so that you don't hit the ground. It's fair to say I agree with you almost 100%. However I will only "give high heel shoes credit" for being the sexiest shoes.
    ps: I really love the flats you posted

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  4. Id rather fly in flats than totter in heels anyday! Wonderful article, thank you!

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  5. Thank you for sharing your thoughts :)
    But I think sexy and powerful is a state of mind, nothing to do with heels or heights, pointy or rounded shoes. However, I do know that flats can also cause distress to one's feet if worn exclusively, so I would also opt for middle-flat-ish solutions :)

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  6. For the last seven years I have lived in my dr marten boots and my fairystep boots. I do own one pair of 3inch block heels for fancy times, which I have worn maybe twice.
    As you say Amoronia, wearing flats exclusively can also damage the feet. I recently started running and hurt my foot, the doctor says it's achilles tendonitis and I have to go for physiotherapy! He also said to wear shoes with a higher heel, that are raised up more than the front. The cause may not have been from the flats, until I see the physiotherapist I wont know. But it has certainly made me open my eyes about my foot wear. No more flat flats, like the ballet style! :)

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  7. Thank you so much for including my oxfords in your great post! I love high heels, but not the pain that comes with them. I have a gorgeous pair of lipstick red heels by Faryl Robin that are the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet. I couldn't take one step without feeling like my arches were going to snap. Every so often I think I might try them again, but then I come to my senses and reach for the comfortable shoes. ;)

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