I love high heels. I only wish my feet loved wearing them. Getting to the office in a great-looking but no-so-comfortable pair of shoes can feel like completing a daily obstacle course.
There are steps to conquer, pavement holes to navigate and blisters to try and avoid. Then there’s the beautiful shoe itself you want to protect – built to be worn on a soft, firm surface, rather than the concrete they’re slammed against thousands of times a day.
If I could wear heels as effortlessly and elegantly as Claire Underwood in House of Cards, I too would never take them off. If only feet didn’t sweat in Summer and freeze in Winter. If only calf muscles were stronger, balance was better, stairs were removed and the City of Sydney could fix every single gap and hole in the pavement.
If only one didn’t need to get from A to B or had a private motorcade at the ready for all transportation requirements, potentially with a bootmaker on call to immediately fix any wear and tear and give fragile heels some longevity.
Now that’s not the reality we live in. Whether you drive, walk or take public transport to work, getting around all day with your feet delicately balanced on a twig can prove more challenging than its worth.
Thankfully, great flat shoes are readily available. Shoe designers know there’s a big market for shoes that are as comfortable as they are fashionable and more women are wearing these in the office and looking great at the same time.
Still, a great looking flat may not be enough.
Over in the UK, high heels have become the subject of serious conversation after receptionist Nicola Thorp was sent home from a PwC office for not wearing high heels. It was her first day on the job, and Thorp claims she was sent packing after wearing flat shoes instead of two to four inch heels. Hired as a temporary worker by third party reception company Portico, she says she tried to claim the ruling was discriminatory but was sent home without pay regardless when she refused to go and purchase a pair of shoes.
She’s since launched an online petition — with more than 62,000 signatures at the time of publishing — calling on new laws that make it illegal for employers to force women to wear high heels.
Away from official uniform policies, many women – particularly in corporate leadership positions and in receptionist roles – are expected to wear high heels at work. No doubt the height of such accessories still do send subconscious messages regarding a woman’s commitment to her career. Some women feel more confident in heels, some simply love to wear them, but others see it as another daily workplace challenge that their male colleagues don’t have to face.
As Thorp told the Telegraph that she explained to her supervisor on the day she was sent home: “I’m not sure exactly how [wearing heels] improves my ability to do my job. In fact, I would argue that I could do my job better if I was able to walk properly.”
Imagine all the things we could do, if we could walk properly?
For those of us who continue to have a love/hate relationship with beautiful shoes, here are some actual tips for avoiding pain.