'Heel' Me!

‘HEEL’ ME!

Printed in "The Post"---Eyecandy Magazine
21st August, 2005-Station Chaos Column.


“If high heels were so wonderful, men would be wearing them”. ---- Sue Grafton (quotationsbywomen.com).

There is a great significance in our daily lives, of shoes in general. Shoes protect our feet and we as humans have become accustomed to them. They are in a way a part of us, and as some comment, they help in hiding our peculiar feet, especially if they are deformed in any way. Shoes come in all varieties whether they are in the form of boots, mules, slippers, sandals, platform shoes or high heels.

High heels are types of shoe that are often used make a fashion statement when worn. They are also a psychological crutch for women with a lack of confidence, they are sexy, and in some cases they can even be used as a deadly weapon in self-defense. As a utility, high heel shoes are height enhancers as they once were for a royal bride in 1533.

High heel shoes have a history just like any other item of clothing. The ancient Egyptians have to be credited for having the earliest recordings of leather shoes on their murals in tombs and places of worship (approximately 4000 B.C). In England, King Henry II made popular shoes with narrow and pointed toes, so as to hide his ugly feet (1154-1189). By approximately the 1500’s shoes became two-pieced: an upper part attached to a sole. The high heel was born to help riders stick their feet in the stirrups. Boots with heels became popular among men. The five inch heel was invented and worn by Louis XIV. By 1660, the ‘Louis’ heels were also worn by women. In 1794 the first retail shoe store opened in Boston and shoes were now made by machines. The famous ‘stiletto’ heel was invented by the Italians, and thus the pointed toe fad became apparent for both sexes by approximately 1955. In 1980 platforms and sneakers came into vogue, although high heels stayed popular as well.

In today’s world the high heel is fast barring discomfort and is becoming a symbol of attractiveness, sophistication and evening wear. The saying ‘beauty is only skin deep’ does not apply when it comes to high heels and all the glamour they exude. Women who wear them all the time, claim that they feel beautiful, confident and on top of the world at every occasion. They are even willing to bare the discomfort of a five inch heel to simply look good. Women also endure pain and bruises on their feet for fashion and an outward appearance of being ‘in control’.

High heels have been portrayed as glamorous by the media. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez lead teenagers and fans that idolize them, to imitation. This turns out to be a good way for shoe companies to market themselves. The celebrities are made to look vivacious and attractive in their heels, and this image becomes ingrained in the minds of so much of the youth. It is the image that sells in the end. I also feel that women feel superior and dominating towards men when they tower over them in heels.

Believe it or not there is a medical standpoint to the wearing of heels too. When wearing heels, women put all the weight of their body forward. Therefore it takes an extra effort by the muscles to stop the body from falling forward. It is in the lower back area that most of this effort by the muscles is concentrated, thus leading to back pain. Moreover, it is difficult for our feet to carry out their sensing and balancing jobs, when tight heels are worn and suffocating them. Women are therefore more prone to falling and stumbling with high heels on. Furthermore the Lancet, Massachusetts researchers claim in the British medical journal that knee arthritis is more common in women than men due to the fact that women wear high heels that affect the knee and hip while the body tries to maintain a balance. This can lead to a very apparent degeneration of joints and bones.

A good comparison to make would be between the practice of East Chinese foot binding and the wearing of high heels. There was a practice of foot binding of young girls between the ages of 3 and 8 years, in China from 950-1912 A.D. High heels were invented in 1533 in France, as mentioned before, and both the Chinese foot binding practice and the French high heels were thought to make the feet appear alluring and produce a sexy walk. However there are some vital differences in the two practices also. Bound feet result in permanent damage to feet, and heels can cause damage in rare cases, to the body and feet. In China it was the parents who were responsible for the decision to bind girl’s feet whereas wearing high heels is a personal decision. Bound feet signified acceptance and inferiority, while heels portray either independence or submitting to projecting an image of dominance. Height was not affected by foot binding as it is by heels.

Emotionally, when wearing heels, some women feel happy, charmed and high spirited. Their self-moral is boosted. Other women recoil in disgust by the thought of wearing heels and see it as degradation to women, especially when worn for the sole purpose of attracting men.

I personally feel that women should wear heels if it makes them feel better about themselves and gives them a sense of being powerful and feminine at the same time. Even as a fashion accessory, the heel enhances and sophisticates any garment. It is a shoe that almost certainly ‘heels’ the wearer’s spirit and lifts it up to new heights. However, just like anything in excess is not good, one must take care to not let wearing heels constantly damage our feet or body in any way.


By: Fariha Rashed

Better To Light One Small Candle than To Curse the Darkness.

“Better To Light One Small Candle than To Curse the Darkness”

Every morning one picks up the newspaper to see a fresh yet distressing headline, screaming out at us from the crispy off-white pages. One such daunting headline that has suddenly grabbed the attention of the Western media in the recent days is that of poverty and starvation in the continent of Africa. This turn of events came about due to the labors of a few people who had the courage to shine a spark of change in the pitch, black cloud of helplessness that engulfs the everyday lives of Africans even today.

The ‘Live 8’ concert, held this year, was ridiculed by many as doing little in bringing attention to the cause of alleviating poverty and famine in Africa. It was thought of as being too small an effort in regard to the enormity in scale of the problem. However, I believe it was one man’s vision and strength of resolve that made the ‘Live 8’ concert not just one of the greatest concerts in the history of music, but also acted as one of the most important catalysts in speeding up the process of healing Africa. Bob Geldof is this exceptional man.

This gentleman lit a small candle of hope in the face of complete darkness. By this tiny act, he managed to divert the eyes of the world and its leaders to the frightful plight of starving Africans, which allowed them to receive relief almost immediately.

The moral of this essay is that it is always better to get up and do something (no matter how miniscule) to find a solution, rather than to let the sheer size of the problem overwhelm you into not acting at all. Do not be defeated even before trying.

BY: FARIHA RASHED