Stiletto heels, UGH!

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

Stiletto heels as "normal" women's wear only date from the very late 1950's.Before that, they were only worn by one type of women, HOOKERS! If you look in old movies and TV series you will see plenty of high heals, but not stilettos. Of course, to each his own, but it is a shame that the type of heels you see in the catalogues of the 50's,thicker but still slender and graceful, seem to be so hard to get. It seems that now that the only alternative to stiletto heels are thick, clunky ones.

[Carolyn Marie]

Like many of us, I tried stilettos when I first starting dressing en femme. It didn't last long. Now I stick to 2.5" squarish heels when I want to dress up (and don't need to walk or stand too long).

The younguns have time to train their legs and ankles to wear high heels. It seems a rare older lady who can adapt well.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

In the 50's, even Evening shoes didn't have heels higher than 3 inches.And while younger girls can adapt to stilettos easier than us, THEY don't find them comfortable either! But all that you see is one extreme or the other. The mid fifties Sears catalogs had so many nice women's shoes with graceful heels that looked high even though they were less than three inches! Progress?

[Charlize]

I rarely wear heels anymore but i also started off in stiletto's. They make you stand out and that isn't me anymore. I will still wear a 2" or so heel if i know i'll be sitting but for the most part i wear wedged slides or flats. I'm a bit clumpy but then again i'm 66 and not trying to look hot. Being comfy is ore important even if i never thought i would say that.

The younger generation can look hot.

Hugs,

Charlize

[Guest cerise]

I like heels but I like stable.

Stilettos may look great but painful and unstable.

4 inch is great and theres lots of swell styles.

Go figure in Vancouver designer gumboots are the style statement these days.

[Guest ToriLynn]

I love my heels and find them very comfortable. They are in fact more comfortable to me than flats. I guess I am strange though because my shortest heel is 3 inches except for two pair of one inch heeled boots. I also know a lot of cis ladies that love their heels more than flats. It is all about what is comfortable to you. With regards to history during the 15th 16th and 17th centuries heels higher than 3 inches and platforms were very common in the upper tiers of society.

Hugs

Tori

[Guest April Kristie]

I cut my fantasy teeth looking at black hose and stilettos in those '50's trash mags, where many men learned the wrong way toward feminism. At 6'8 stilettos are definitely a no no. And I have a few pair of fantasy three inch heels in the closet where I no longer live. My impetus towards all that Dysphoria gear is so over now. Thank you Rx E.

[Guest Kaylee]

I love heels, must have 8 pair taller that 4 inch. Even at my height of 6'1"... I think I'll be wearing them for a hot night out.

Admittedly. .. yes, it is hard to find heels that don't point to the stiletto group... unless you go wedge. Harder in a large size...

What's a girl to do?

Kaylee

[Guest Sarah Faith]

Stiletto heels as "normal" women's wear only date from the very late 1950's.Before that, they were only worn by one type of women, HOOKERS! If you look in old movies and TV series you will see plenty of high heals, but not stilettos. Of course, to each his own, but it is a shame that the type of heels you see in the catalogues of the 50's,thicker but still slender and graceful, seem to be so hard to get. It seems that now that the only alternative to stiletto heels are thick, clunky ones.

Stripper/hooker heels these days are the 6+ inch heels with the platform on the front. Of which I own a pair.. pain in the arse to walk in, but they look ahmazing.. Stilettos as you mention are the mainstay and Id say the majority of my heels are stilettos, and honestly I really like them. That isnt to say the heels you like arent there, you just aren't going to find them in the strappy type heels, sling backs for example tend to have a wider heel. Retro is a really popular style among punk circles, so there are plenty of stores that sell retro clothes, but again you will likely find alot of the "less classy" shoes.

Honestly though the reason you see this shift after the 50s is due to the sexual liberation of the 60s alot of what is in style today stems from that.. Sure stilettos were seen as low class at one point, but so were tattoos and I'm pretty addicted to those as well lol. To each their own though.

[Guest Gwendolyn Elizabeth]

Most of my heels are stilettos. Yesterday I wore my back boots with 4" stiletto heels to work yesterday. For some reason I find them easy to walk in. Its the flats that make my ankles hurt.

[tracy_j]

I have some ankle boots I have bought just before Christmas.

They have only two and three quarter inch heels so good to try heels as not too big. I had no problems trying on and walking in the shop and have since worn them around the house a little to get used to wearing and going up / down stairs etc (even running on the spot to see if moving quickly in such heels is practical). I can feel the stress on my feet so a full day does not seem to be a good idea although they are comfortable. Perhaps a couple of hours at a time. I have yet to wear them out and about.

One advantage I have noticed is that because my foot is more vertical the boots are somewhat shorter than they would be with flat heels. I look at them and am amazed that they fit me as they appear tiny compared with my usual footwear. I think that as I have bigger feet than most cis women anything that makes my feet look smaller seems good.

Tracy

[Guest]

I love my sky scraper platform sillettos! I'm 6'6" in them. I can even dance in them! To each her own. Hug. JodyAnn

[Guest Roberta-Belinda]

I would love to wear stiletto heels but I think they would cause me heel pain. I had to stop wearing very high heels a few years back. The heels were quite cheap I am not sure if that's what caused the heel pain. Due to lack of funds I only have two pairs of shoes at the moment with fairly low heels. I started to fall in love with stiletto's when I was in my mid twenties. I only ever bought one pair.

[Guest Chris546]

My favorite pair of shoes is 4.5" stiletto high heels and they are very comfortable I can wear them all day, yet i guess I end up wearing flats most of the time. Go figure.