Happy Feet

My new Converse Chucks. When my feet are Happy. I am Happy.

Eons ago, men were the first to wear high heels. Hooking the heels into the stirrups provided stability while saddled on a horse. Much like our cowboy boots or our bicycle clips and pedals.

Today, the purpose of high heels is mainly sexual. Men claim to be more attracted to a woman in high heels. The French shoe designer Christian Louboutin said heels slowed the woman down, giving the man more time to look at her. A woman in motion, outside of male control, has long been viewed as a problem. What better way to tame these fleeing women…” Just reading this, I feel violated.

Heels higher than 2 inches prevent us from driving, walking downhills or on irregular surfaces like grass or cobblestones. High heels can damage knees, sprain ankles, and cause low back pain, potentially leading to a lifetime of arthritis and chronic pain.

Donning high heels also make us physically vulnerable. It prevents us from running away in the face of danger. High heels as part of a work dress code is a form of sexual harassment unless all genders have that as part of their dress code. The height of a woman’s heels is inversely correlated to her education level (University of Berkeley Wellness letter).

I have spoken to many women complaining of low back pain while wearing high heels. When I suggest that it could be their footwear, I can usually predict the answer: They insist that these are their most comfortable shoes (despite having back pain). High-heelers develops contracted short Achilles tendons. It hurts them to stand with flat feet!

Wearing flatter shoes, I can get to where I need to go faster. I am more productive, more competitive. Above all, more comfortable. Difficult to concentrate when my feet are sore. I am happy when my feet are happy.

This is why I am elated to see our VP, Kamala Harris wearing Converse Chucks, a classic American shoe. It tells me she means business: don’t mess with me, she can fend for herself. Exudes strength, confidence, and intelligence. Marches to her own beat. That is the energy I would like my persona to be. So I bought a pair. Comfort and confidence over conformity. Empowering. Those attributes are sexy too.

With these shoes, I feel like I can, as Woody says in Toy Story: Run like the wind Bullseye.