Feet and Fashion at what Price

The trend for the heel started as early as 15th century, but not so much worn for fashion as it was out of necessity. Women wore cloth slippers that they wore slipped in elevated overshoes called pattens to keep their feet from getting dirty.

We think our heels are high? Near this same time, the chopine was introduced and quickly gained fame throughout Europe. This was another overshoe for the slipper but made of wood and highly decorated. These required help putting on as their height was known to reach 30 inches at times. The higher the shoe, the higher the status as it was seen back then.

Throughout the centuries women's shoes have evolved, from square toe to pointed, from slipper to heel, from open to closed sides. All the while never losing sight of seeing shoes as function as well as fashion.

No one wants to trip, yet we insist on wearing those heels. I had more than a few of my own experiences, one when I was downtown in Seattle heading to lunch with a coworker and completely fell in the middle of the financial district. This moment was almost reminiscent of when someone breaks down in traffic and people veer to keep on going by. The ironic thing was my shoes were stable. What wasn't stable was the grate I stepped on that left me on my rear end.

Another more than glorious moment was back in High School running across the school as soon as the bell rang to hopefully 'bump into' that cute guy I had a crush on since the year before. Bump into is exactly right. Both of the heels on my pumps got caught in the mud, leaving me tip toeing in rapid motion down the muddy slope completely barefoot with mud up to my ankles. Yes, just as he walked by. These are painfully what we call the early lessons in life.

Everything from pointed toes extending too far out and catching on the step you are walking up to unattractive calluses on those freshly painted toes. Wearing heels can be downright dangerous.

• the average person walks 10,000 steps a day


• 25% of all the bones in the human body are in the feet


• your feet take on 1 1/2 times your weight with each step


• women suffer 4x more foot problems than men


• common foot issues associated with wearing high heels include bunions, lower back and knee pain


• to properly walk in heels you step heel down then toe, straight ahead


• wearing high heels is similar to walking down hill


• walking up and downstairs is a completely different process; up the stairs place your full foot on the step, down the stairs place the ball of your foot on the step

Women in China used to bind their small girls feet, with the thought that tiny feet meant for a better life. The women were not desirable to marry if their feet were not bound. It was considered an enormous embarrassment if the mother of the man you loved saw your unbound feet. This was part of the culture, something that is hard for us to understand today, but went on for 1000 years.

Foot ailments are caused by a number of reasons, whether it is hereditary, poorly fitted shoes or an injury. Here are some of the common foot concerns that can arise:

Bunions - Occur on the big toe joint, often hereditary and aggravated by narrow shoes. Surgery can often be recommended as a way to fix this issue.

Calluses/Corns - Tend to occur on the big toe, fifth toe, heels when wearing shoes that cause excessive rubbing. Well fitted shoes, proper socks are recommended for prevention.

Hammertoe - Tends to occur on the second toe. Often accompanied by a bunion that causes the big toe to turn in towards the second toe. Corrective inserts may help alleviate pain or surgery may be recommended.

Achilles tendonitis - Painful inflammation of the tendon that along the back of the calf that connects with the heel. Tends to occur while overexerting during exercise or failing to warm up.

Ingrown toenails - Toenails that grow deep into the sides of the surrounding skin, often preventing nails from growing out even. There are a number of reasons why these can occur. Many recommend clipping the nails straight across and keeping them a bit longer once grown past the pressure points.

Why is there just one shoe on the road?
It is pretty amazing how many people lose their shoes on the road. Everything from sneakers to kids shoes. Perhaps it is just someone throwing a tantrum with the window down or someone snoozing with their feet up out of the window. The odd thing is, tennis shoes though?

How come there are shoes hanging from the telephone wires?
There are many legends and theories as to why someone would toss a pair of laced shoes up into the telephone wires. Some say it is a mark of gang or drug activity, while others say it is pranks or celebrations. While it is common in the United States is occurs around the globe. Perhaps it is just one of life's mysteries.

What does someone do when their feet are two different sizes?
It is actually quite common to have up to a 1/2 size difference between your two feet as well as varying widths. If the sizes are 1/2 a size different or less, buy for the larger foot. If the size difference is greater than that, you might need two pairs. There is a site that specializes in addressing just this issue OddShoeFinder.com.