My short answer is because they are the foot devils!!
My controversial answer is because they are a construct of men objectifying women and only came to be in patriarchal societies.
My anatomical answer is because they shorten your back body and can be a driver of pelvic floor dysfunction.
I feel passionate about all 3 of these answers but will focus on the latter here.
When you stand in high heels what happens to your calf muscle?It shortens, which also apparently is considered more beautiful, but I digress.
If you’re walking around with a shortened calf muscle most days, what might that do to your pelvis?It shifts where your center of gravity is, nudging it forward. This nudge forward promotes a tilting down of your pelvis (anterior tilt), creating a more accentuated low back curve, which fascinatingly also creates the illusion of a bigger butt (hmm, beauty paradigms appear yet again!).
When you walk in high heels, your front body works harder and your back body begins to tighten and/or turn off. All of this is creating an imbalance and imbalance promotes dysfunction.
Moral of the story- high heels are the devil… they feel horrible and wreak havoc on your feet, pelvic and postural systems.
As your friendly neighborhood pelvic floor therapist, I strongly suggest you reserve those high heels for only the utmost of important occasions, aka NOT WORK!
Instead consider trying out a pair of minimalistic shoes such as Xero shoes! CLICK HERE.
I have no affiliation with Xero shoes, except sporting them almost daily and receiving thank you messages from my feet, pelvis and back in return on a regular basis. What’s your favorite brand of flats/minimalist shoes? I’d love to know!
In Health,
Hilary
