Stilettos

Stilettos

Of all heights, all shapes, all sizes... What do they do for you?

The conversation goes something along these lines: Wife: How do I look? Husband: Tall. And I wish I made a pound every time I heard it! The problem here is that height isn't really the purpose of the stiletto. Certainly that was how they evolved in the days of yore, but today, with such a diverse culture (and many people having such varying tastes and opinions on height) this purpose has gone somewhat out of the window. Many women enjoy being petite, whereas others enjoy being on the taller side.

So what is the point of stilettos? Well, anybody who has watched Gok Wan knows that whatever you wear changes the appearance of your body. Patterns, stripes and accessories all change the appearance of your proportions (think pinstripes, or the use of a belt). These shoes are no different. Increasing your height, while the rest of your figure remains the same, serves to make your appearance look more slender. That in itself can be a very useful tool when deciding on a night's outfit, as well as which clothes work in different combinations (how do you want to come across?).

Not only this, but stilettos have a remarkable effect on your musculature. Because of the relatively small point on which the majority of your weight is balancing, your legs, glutes and even your core have to work hard to maintain that balance, causing the shape of your legs to change; your calves and glutes will lift and your thighs will maintain a firmness while your abdominal muscles must remain in a slightly flexed state in order to control the balance of your upper body. Because of the muscle beneath your abdominals - the transverse muscle - this gives the illusion of a smaller waistline; the transverse is responsible for holding your stomach in and supporting your abdominals.

In terms of posture, stilettos show their genius. That balance that I mentioned earlier means that you have to carry your body in a particular way, or else you're likely to be going head over heels! (Ba-dum tish.) This in itself will force you to stand more upright, holding your shoulders squarely and preventing you from slouching or hanging your head while making sure that your feet, legs and waist follow a particular path. The mans perspective here is that this is a thing of attraction - that posture will affect the way you walk and along with that comes gracefulness (as well as sometimes downright aggressiveness - check out some of those catwalk models to see what I mean!) and an air of confidence and attractiveness.

The final point I have here is towards the height of the shoe. Many men recognise their preference for a longer stiletto than a shorter one and many ladies enjoy a platform. Why? Well first of all, the higher the stiletto, the more of an angle your foot stands at. This can be a useful tool and it makes your foot appear to be smaller - a sign of femininity and one which many men find highly attractive. However from a woman's standpoint, this can be extremely uncomfortable. As such, platforms are added, as can be seen with many of the examples on this page. This reduces the angle of the foot, which will be more comfortable (because the foot is less likely to slide forward and rub, as well as the weight on certain areas of your foot being relieved) while giving you the desired boost in height, should you be going for a particular image.