Some High-heeled thinking…!
Advance Bail: This analysis is written with determined purpose of
provoking thought on a common social problem, and with due respect to all sane
members of both sexes. The problem in discussion, however, is perhaps just the
tip of a socio-cultural iceberg.
******
Suppose a horse trots by while we relax in a built up
area. How do we first get to know? - Very often by the tip-tap of its horse-shoe
clamping, right?
In a
much similar fashion, some ladies - while on the move - advertise their
presence by the tip-tap of their high heels. However, if you happen to look at
this inviting presence, their face would continue hosting the pre-programmed
emotion of preoccupation which often suggests you to mind your matters.. (Perhaps,
some of them are trying to imitate the blank face that fashion models on the
catwalk sport? Who taught and trained the model that in turn is interesting
food for thought! )
However,
there is an essential difference between the former and the latter: The horse
was forced on a metal shoe by humankind, with the intent of protecting its
hooves from strong terrain while at human disposal. The horse is given no choice, and that any way
protects it from damage. High heelers, on the other hand, very often opt for it
at their free will (or is it so?) and thenceforth inflict numerous damages and
risks to their very own safety and health and to others at times.
With so
much of prelude, I’ll share the brief history which ended up in my writing on
this lucrative subject!
******
Late 80’s, Rome Airport: I was
aged below 10, and our family was in transit from Libya on the way back to
India. I remember running around with my younger brother, making good use of
the otherwise long and boring wait for the onward flight. Suddenly, I heard a
series of sounds approaching us. It seemed like a herd of horses arriving in a
disciplined, slow pace. Amused as I was at the thought of seeing horses in this
lavish airport lounge, I stopped all action and paid attention to the direction
of perceived arrival. To my despair as well as astonishment, it was a fairly
big flight crew proceeding on duty – probably for a jumbo. I scratched my head
and looked at those noisy things the ladies were wearing. Not having grown up
in societies that use the high heel, I couldn’t even comprehend that they were
footwear at all. Perhaps it would be some essential gadget required for the
aviation profession. Then why didn’t the gents wear them? Any way why do they
have to walk in them? – My innocent childhood painfully visualized the struggle
of walking with those attachments for myself, all when those madams would have
been long used to it. Questions generated in my young mind stayed dormant for
decades altogether.
Mid 90’s, Kozhikode, South India:
A hot afternoon yielded into a humid evening by the end of school hours. I
ended the seemingly long walk home from the bus stop with a jolting surprise.
There stands parked below the portico, a pair of footwear which was overt 3
inches high, throughout from stem to stern! My astonishment was quite natural
since my mother, who was the only lady of our 5 member family used nothing more
than half an inch. It was also my first look at what I later learned to be a
‘Platform’. It belonged to a second cousin who was sent in from a little far,
to take a few high-school lessons from my mother who was a teacher. She was a
little short for her age, and probably wanted to cover it up. However I felt
sad and confused of her attempt to offset a God-given trait with this seemingly
awkward and obviously dangerous contraption. She left with mom the next
morning. The same night, when I asked Mom how she would walk safely in it, she
told me that while leaving home that morning, her foot caught the edge of the
road and she fell sideways. “Oh! What happened then”? – I remember asking… Mom
replied solemnly: “Well, I helped her up, dusted the dirt from her dress, and
we proceeded as if nothing has happened. What else to do?”
2000, NIT-C, Kozhikode: A
gloomy day, in the second semester of engineering, I was relaxing at the
verandah of the first floor of our Institute’s main building, gazing at the
garden down below, that made the large courtyard nice and bright. All of a
sudden, there was a horse shoe clamping, and a ‘thud’ and a scream followed by
a quick series of cries for help. This girl had appeared from the passage
below, stumbled and fell at the step. As helpless as she was while afloat on
those heels, she couldn’t get up without help, which she thankfully received
from some gents who passed by.
(Image was taken from internet, I lost the source so unable to quote for courtesy)
Coincidentally, it was in the same semester that
our (now Late) Professor of Engineering Mechanics explained the unstable forces
and moments acting on the body of a high-heeler, by depicting the case neatly
as an analogy with a bicycle wheel that had improperly designed spokes. He
taught that alternate spokes could be taken as alternate legs while rolling
compares to walking.
2010, Wuxi, China: I was
one among a crowd of people who just alighted from the train. We passed
underground and moved along the passage which ended at a fleet of stairs
leading up to the exit. Unfortunately, there was no elevator or escalator,
requiring all passengers to ferry heavy baggage up the stairs. Now this young
lady in front of me was trying to offset the weight of her heavy wheeled
trolley by attempting to pull it along the ramp beside the step. However, her
pointed shoe heels bent into an arc whenever her effort shifted to the trolley.
She thus struggled with the imbalance of ‘external’ and ‘internal’ moments for
quite some time after which the futile attempt was aborted without major damage
to the subject or passers-by..!
So, my
thoughts grew as experiences widened. Some questions found answers. Others
persist. Having travelled in plenty across nations with people who have a
considerable share of high-heelers, I couldn’t resist anymore the urge to write
on the seemingly harmless and insignificant subject. So thus I do here forth,
in a sincere hope that it will help and benefit the reader and her/his circles
in some way or the other:
******
We
should stand for women’s rights. They are our mothers, our first teachers,
guides, groomers and the best home makers. While most men work only during
their official working hours, majority of women work all day long and they like
doing it that way out of love for the family. If they are full-time home
makers, they indulge in doing that job with perfection, from wake-up time unto
when they go to bed. If they go out for work, then we know how much added load
they bear.
Every
one ought to make life easier for women – Everyone means men as well as women.
– Why?
- We
start our topic.
******
I have
often tried to figure out a thing that men wear, which serves no specific duty
as a piece of dressing, and is risky and unhealthy by default. I couldn’t arrive
at anything save the neck-tie as a remote possibility. But even that is not so
much of a common health hazard, (though first aid does teach us to remove it in
case of suffocation symptoms) and serves some sort of purpose in the cold
countries where it is primarily popular.
Is
there something they put on ignoring inconvenience and health risks, just to
attract attention from others? Not anything common came to mind. Can you think
of one?
As for
women, aren’t there quite a few things that easily qualify?
Statistics
(3 years ago) show that 43 million Americans experience painful foot
problems—such as hammertoes, callous, and bunions—and high-heeled women
comprise the vast majority of them. For every five women in the U.S., one
suffers from aching feet as a result of donning heels to impress partners or
colleagues1.
According
to Physiotherapist Jane Snyder who is a member of the American Physical Therapy
Association (APTA), a woman’s body will attempt to compensate for the
off-kilter balance heels cause by flexing, or forward bending, the hips and
spine. In order to maintain balance, the calf, hip, and back muscles become
tense. At the end of the day, this makes for excess muscle fatigue and strain.
Over time, wearing high heels can also cause the calf muscles to cramp and
bulge1.
There
would be very few high-heelers who are unaware of its risks to health. In a
study conducted on 1000 girls by a renown shoe firm, it was found that more
than a third have fallen while wearing high-heels and that back-pain is up
ten-fold. ‘The Sun’ quotes physiotherapist
Joshua Wies warning that many could face hip replacements. He says it is
worrying that under-18s are experiencing problems usually associated with Old
Aged Patients (OAPs) .
******
Women
have to think for themselves. Ask these questions – who is behind the design,
propagation, advertising, production, distribution and glorification of such
useless stuff, in the name of ‘fashion’? Who tempts you to embrace danger and
inconvenience? For whose selfish whims are you being lured into self-torture?
Does it amount to liberation or freedom?
These
looming thoughts should also haunt those who are required to wear mini-skirts
as part of their work. Be it flight stewards, attendants, receptionists,
secretaries or waitresses… Why are you forced to wear something which makes even
sitting down at a public place an acrobatic task?! Who wants you to put on such
outfits in the name of ‘business wear’? Do think for yourselves, dear sisters…
What
gets you draped into some Sari sets that are 6-metre long to get into, still
exposes your belly to the public while you can’t run at your will to catch a
bus, and also forces you to reserve one hand to regularly service the
oft-falling trailing edge?! If it is really for you yourself, then well and
fine…
Well we
are straying away from our topic of discussion..!
A
friend says that she got into the habit of donning heels to offset lack of
height while living in a society that had a mix of people, many of whom were
taller. When she later managed to get rid of the risky habit, it was tough to
walk in normal footwear for quite some time. Her body had adapted to the
high-heel and it was for some-time a bother especially while getting down
stairs!
Another
tells of her class mate who was advised by her doctor while only in eighth
grade, to rid herself of heeled shoes, owing to severe back-ache.
It is
high time to be cautious of the greedy alliance
that co-exists within elements of the fashion industry to teach its existing
and prospective customers that everything they churn out is for our own good.
(taken from an advertisement, click on the image for source)
Think free, live free !!
===
Above
content was written about two years ago. It remained with me so long, as I was
planning to expand the content further, but couldn't so far... I was in China then with no access to most popular
blog sites etc.
Courtesy
to my wife and all those ladies who contributed advice and content
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