According to the fashionista bible, the higher the shoe, the closer you are to fashion heaven. That must be the reasoning behind the numerous numbers of women flaunting their foot candy with pained expressions on their faces. But opponents of this trend say stilettos are high heel hell for your health. PHARES MUTEMBEI looked at both sides of the debate.
It is a beautiful Sunday morning and the devotee’s attention is riveted on the pastor as he delivers a moving sermon. Suddenly, the sombre mood is shattered by the ‘Click! Click!’ of a woman’s high heels as she walks into the church and tries to find a seat. The sound rings in all ears until she is settled, then the service resumes but the magic of the moment is gone.
Recently, a Kitui pastor banned high heels from his church, saying the sound they make is too distracting.
Once upon a time, men also used to wear high heels. In fact, these shoes can be traced way back to horse riders in the Near East, who wore them to keep their feet in stirrups. Nowadays, their wearers are predominantly women, and the reasons for wearing them have changed drastically.
There have even been attempts, in different places around the world, to ban stilettos from the workplace. Bosses cite health and safety concerns, but neither these nor the pastor’s reasons can convert die-hard fans of high heels.
Linet Munyali, popularly known as Size 8, a singer and actress, cannot imagine life without high heels. She says they add inches to her short frame and improve her posture.
“I cannot go out in public without heels. They make me feel taller, elegant and feminine.
“Sometimes I don’t feel like wearing them, but I’m an artiste, so I have to look the part whether at a rehearsal, on TV, in a music video or at a live performance. High heels are like uniform to me,” says the celebrity who says she has about 30 pairs of high-heeled shoes.
Doryn Abel, a 22-year-old model and Law student, wears heels to feel confident, especially when attending glamorous social events.
“I first wore heels while in Standard Eight, and now I wear them everywhere, from shopping to visiting friends and going to church. I feel incomplete without high heels,” Doryn confides.
She has 26 pairs, including boots, peep-toes and closed shoes, the highest being six inches high.
Climbing the ladder
It is not just celebrities and those in the public eye who love heels either. Students and career women, young and old, say there is something special about these shoes that rub off on the wearer.
Nancy, who fell in love with high heels while in high school, says the shoes have helped her climb the social ladder.
“I’m told I look irresistible in high heels. Apart from a few minor injuries I have sustained while wearing particularly high ones, stilettos have stood me in good stead. I attract many admirers and that is not a bad thing for a 25-year-old,” she says.
And Victoria Nyiva, 25, a proud owner of 12 pairs, says, “High heels make me look and feel sexier and give me an aura of class. I got my first pair at 18, and have worn them ever since, though I twisted my ankle a couple of times learning to walk on them. The secret is to strut like a model; don’t walk too fast!”
However, Victoria advises lovers of heels to ensure they buy the right size and shape.
“No matter how beautiful the heels are, no one looks good trying to balance on a pair of ill-fitting stilettos that they can barely walk in.”
For Terry Mutua, 28, high heels are a fashion symbol.
“I have an uncountable number of heels to fit all occasions, including weddings, official functions and clubbing,” she says.
And for Hellen Odunga, high heels make up for a ‘lack of height’.
“I’m vertically challenged and I don’t like that fact. Luckily, all I need to do is slip on a pair of high heels and voila, I am a few inches taller. Just like people get a high from drinking alcohol, I get a high from wearing heels. I even wear them around the house so that I can reach high shelves.
Stilettos are also said to, er, add width.
“My heels make my backside look bigger,” 32-year-old Carol Wangui says. “For some reason, men cannot resist the power of a pair of beautiful heels.”
In the marketing department where Carol works, most of her colleagues wear heels. “These shoes open doors,” she explains.
Men like Mike Murithi agree with this. In his opinion, high heels make a woman more alluring.
“There is nothing more feminine or beautiful than a woman in a nice dress and a fine pair of stilettos. The higher the heels, the better,” says Mike.
However, he accuses some women of giving heels a bad name: “Truth be told, every prostitute worth her salt has a pair of high heels.”
However, the reputation of some of the wearers is not the only thing sky-high heels have against them.
Sally Kariuki-Harman, a podiatrist, a physician specialising in the study and treatment of the foot and ankle, says she wishes women knew the amount of damage high heels cause to feet.
Dr Harman says heels put the feet’s bones in unnatural position, thus altering the balance and proper functioning of other bones in the body.
“The biggest problem is back problems. When you wear high heels, there is too much compression of the spinal cord,” she explains.
“More importantly, women with diabetes and other chronic diseases must keep off high heels completely.”
Women with diabetes are at risk of developing nerve damage and impaired circulation to the feet, which set the stage for foot ulcers. Adding high heels to the equation raises the risks even higher.
Sally says she has treated countless women with sprains, twisted ankles and hairline fractures as a result of falling while wearing high heels.
“Anything high than one and a half inches causes the centre of gravity to shift forward,” she explains. The higher the heels, the greater the imbalance, which raises the chances of falling.”
Causing damage
But there are even more serious implications of a change in the centre of gravity. In order to walk upright, the upper body has to be pulled backwards. This compresses the vertebrae and results in damage to the spine.
Wearing high heels for a long period may also cause the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to shorten. Thus, there is pain when lower shoes are worn or if the stiletto fan walks barefoot.
Other conditions associated with the frequent wearing of high heels are arthritis of the knees, a chronic condition that can hamper mobility, corns (hardened areas on the foot due to pressure and friction) and bunions (painful protrusions on the big toe). Mules (shoes without a back) can cause clawed toes and hammer toes.
“They will not cause problems if worn in moderation,” she says. “ But if women want to avoid serious long term physical health problems, they should not wear them everyday. Give your feet a break and wear flats now and then.
Joan Jebichiy and Lucy Aleyo learnt this lesson the hard way.
“I decided to ditch high-heeled shoes after suffering backaches and pain in my feet for a long time. They made me look great but the suffering wasn’t worth it,” says Joan.
Lucy’s doctor advised against her choice of footwear because of the irreparable damage to her feet.
Struggling to walk
“I developed leg and back pains that affected the way I worked and walked. I had to undergo a lot of expensive physiotherapy before I could walk comfortably again,” Lucy shares.
Not all men subscribe to the allure of stilettos either.
“I’ve seen ladies who look fantastic in high heels because their body structure allows it. Then there are copycats who wear heels, yet they are not built for them,” says Omondi.
He says his wife stopped wearing heels after an accident.
And Samuel Mwangi simply cannot stand them: “I don’t like the way women walk when wearing heels. I don’t have to walk slowly because my wife is struggling to walk!”
