Kill-her Heels

In a previous guest post, P3ST wrote about the woman who went too far in an attempt to look young again. Cosmetic procedures aside, I think women have always been doing crazy things to their bodies in order to appear attractive, especially to the opposite sex. Yes tell me modern women live for themselves and not men. It may be true to a certain extent, but we can’t deny that we don’t live in vacuums and that our sense of self is largely a result of interaction with our environment and other individuals.

Women across eras and cultures have been attempting to alter their appearances in order to fit into society’s mould of “beautiful” and “desirable”. Out of the many non-surgical methods used, my favorite to write and talk about is women’s love for high heels.




Many young women are often seen wobbling in their high heels, getting their heels stuck between the gaps in drains, tripping and twisting their ankles, and also suffering from bleeding abrasions and blisters. It’s amusing to see teenage girls trying on their high heels for the first time and trotting like new-born horses. Such pain and embarrassment are far from being sexy, so why do women find it so hard to part with their killer heels?

Walking with high heels regularly can contribute to health risks such as sprained ankles, lower back pains, osteoarthritis, foot pain and stress fractures in feet. Wearers could also suffer from a decrease in length of their calf muscles, reducing their normal foot’s range of motion, leading to a decrease in ability to control their center of mass and increased postural instability.

The psychology of motivation may be able to enlighten us on the possible reasons behind this mind-boggling phenomenon.

Motivation to be sexually appealing
Men have evolved to select potential mates based on physical attributes, which are highly related to physiological well-being. Attributes such as fair and smooth skin, low waist-hip ratio, shiny hair and symmetrical faces are rated as more attractive by men. Physical attributes may be the most obvious clues used to select a healthy mate who is able to invest and reproduce healthy offspring. Increasing one's own sexual appeal by being physically attractive increases one's chances of getting hitched.

High heels accentuate the legs of women by defining thigh and calf muscles, and shift the posture of the woman, pushing her chest out and abdomen in, creating the illusion of an S-shaped body which appeals to men. Conforming to social standards of beauty may be pressurizing at first. However extrinsic rewards such as gaining attention and approval encourage persistent action. Eventually, women become intrinsically motivated to put on those killer heels because it is consistent with their self image of appearing attractive, bringing them much pleasure and satisfaction.

Motivation to increase perceived power
High heels increase the height of women, and since size and height are usually associated with strength and power, it could be possible that an instant increase in height also increases confidence and perceived power. Remember that teacher who invigilated your exam and how much you hated her for the noise she created with those high heels? Yes, creating loud noise helped her gain attention and fulfilled her desire to display power. Just think of the last time you shouted at someone, no matter what the reason was, it was to gain the other party’s attention and it helped you feel powerful to some extent.

So the next time you want to try convincing someone to abandon her high heels, you can forget it. When the motivation and rewards have become intrinsic, it's too hard to quit.