Opinion: In Defense of High Heels and Corsets

Today, a friend posted something on his Facebook wall about an article in which he'd read that high heels were designed to keep women from running away et cetera - in any case, the article perpetuated the myth that high heels are supposed to be painful. In many ways, this is similar to the myth that corsets are supposed to be constrictive and painful.

As a some-time wearer of both, I can contest to the falsehood of these myths. Of course, anecdotal evidence is far from scientific, but as there are online guides to wearing both these garments, I am fairly certain I am not alone.

I own a range of heeled shoes, heights varying from 2 inches to 5, and two corsets, one which is supposed to give me a 4 inch waist reduction and one supposed to do 8 (when fully closed).

I like heels, for a number of reasons. The main one is that they make me look far prettier (or so I'd like to think), and because, in a country such as the Netherlands, I'm fairly short, being 5 foot 7. Of course, there are practical downsides; they take training to walk in, and wearing them in icy weather is a sign of stubbornness far beyond stupidity. I don't wear them often here in the UK, because the pavement is fairly irregular and somehow I'm no longer short, but average. You don't have to wear heels every day to be able to walk in them, but you do have to know how to, first: High heel training

Corsets come with a similar set of pros and cons, the main pros being that they make me look much thinner (especially in the case of the 8 inch one, which I can't close fully and with the 6 inch reduction I *can* achieve already looks somewhat ridiculous... like heels over 5 inches also start looking ridiculous) and their rigidity does tremendous things for my spine. Like heels, you can't just put on a corset and expect to be comfortable with an immediate 6 inch reduction; you have to train yourself. Also, indeed, you can't really bend over in them or do anything else that requires upper body flexibility. In fact, there are websites devoted to helping people train their waste - this does rely on wearing corsets often for a permanently altered waist, but the same goes for just being able to wear them: Waist training

Corsets and heels suffer from the same disadvantages, but they both do wonders for the way one looks.

And yes, they will be painful if you don't train yourself right. If you start out wearing flats and suddenly switch to 5 inch heels then yes, you'll feel like you're ready to topple over any time and after a while your feet will hurt like hell. Seeing as I haven't worn any heels lately, I can't take 5 inches now either; I'll stick with 4" maximum, and even then it's a little painful. Same with the corsets; there's a reason I can't achieve that 8 inch reduction, and it's not because I'm fat (though that plays a role, too). It's mostly because I don't wear corsets often enough (because of their lack of practicality, which is the same reason I hardly wear heels in the UK) to train myself to actually be able to take those 8 inches without suffering pain.

Wearing heels and corsets is about knowing yourself and knowing your limits and wearing what you like best regardless of what anyone else thinks, which is, if anything, empowering. Regardless of whatever patriarchal and misogynistic ideas led to the conception of both these types of garment. If it hurts, don't wear them. If you don't like them, don't wear them. But not wearing them because although you like them, they were originally supposedly designed to keep you from running away or to cause you pain? Screw that, and wear them as much as you like.

And now, for some shoe porn:


(and if the good people from Christian Louboutin wish to thank me for featuring a pair of their shoes on this blog with its massive audience consisting of my parents and friends, they're absolutely welcome to do so with a nice pair of heels ;) [also because if I ever become an academic, I won't be able to afford a pair of 500 pound heels... pity me, Louboutin-people!] )