Dig YOUR HEELS in

Few relationships in a woman’s life are as ‘ love- hate’ as the one she has with her high heels ( Kicking off the heels, Apr 29). Men and women love heels because they look great — they make legs appear longer and leaner, help petite women appear taller andevenmake tall women look more statuesque. The hate, however, comes when the pain begins. The case for wearing high heels is based almost exclusively on aesthetic reasons. They change the angle of the foot with respect to the lower leg, therefore accentuating the appearance of the calves; change the wearer’s posture, giving it a more upright carriage and alters the gait to make itmore elegant. British- American journalist Hadley Freeman once wrote, “Highheels are just fancy footbinding devices with a threefigure price tag”. According to her, “one person’s embrace of their sexuality is another person’s patriarchal oppression”. Definitely food for thought. One of the most critical problems of high heels is that improper construction can cause the most damage to one’s foot and lead to problems like bunions or hammer toes. But inspite of all this, women still love their heels! A survey conducted by the American Podiatric Medical Associationi i showedh d thath 42 per cent of women would wear a shoe they liked even if it was uncomfortable. But if you can’t walk in said heels? Well, that negates any positive effects they mayhave, be it increasing confidence or giving one a more seductive stride. It’s health first, ladies!

Gopal Nair, by email