Why Women Applaud and Men Mourn the Downfall of High Heels “I love high heels,” says Caroline McCartney. “I love the way they make me feel. High heels give you a confidence, a certain glamor. They’re empowering. But then I don’t practice what I preach.” McCartney is president of the U.K.’s Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, the world’s oldest professional organization for foot health specialists. Let her personal enthusiasm for high heels abate, and she will tell you that wearing them “completely alters the way the foot functions, and not in a good way. It upsets the entire body’s mechanics.” High heels will shorten the calf muscle, damage tendons and inflame the foot’s soft tissues. It can stress the spine, weaken the ankles, create hammer toes and ruin nails. “You can’t put a pair of high heels on without immediately sensing the constriction in your feet, how they throw you off balance,” she adds. “What can I say? Women know the damage being done, but they like to ignore the facts.” At least, some women do. |