Hello all my girlfriends out in the land of Shoes and High Heels!

Are high heels part of your life? Do you gaze at them wistfully, from afar? Or do you condemn them as bad horrible inventions designed by men?

How does anyone wear high heels? As an Alexander teacher, most of the time I am in stocking feet, happily letting my toes and heels move freely on the floor. Most of my (female) colleagues wear flats or a small heel; as we all know, it’s better for your back.

But where is your heart? What is your truth?
Are you like me, and do you love heels?

I just saw the new movie, Sex and the City. It was notable for the clothes but what I loved even more, were the shoes…..ahhhhhh…..the heels. How about The Devil Wears Prada? The clothes were amazing – but the symbol of the movie was those devilish, divine, delicious heels.

How then, is a girl to reconcile working barefoot and knowing about backs, and loving those shoes?

I remember trying on my first pair of heels when I was a teenager. I wobbled and nearly fell as I tried to walk; it was probably a very good imitation of a drunk. My mother was shopping with me and she tried very hard not to laugh out loud.
My balance was completely off and I could not figure out how to stand up straight and take a step.

So, how do I walk in heels today? How do I dance in them is more to the point; I have been ballroom dancing for nearly 16 years and I am ever so comfortable in my 3-inch heels.

For that matter, how does a ballerina walk on half-point? She’s up on her toes without the benefit of heels. The whole orientation is Up, the body is not collapsing down at all. I tried walking on my toes today and realized that a lot of the physical effort is in my torso as much as my feet.

I notice that it’s about balance in the body and about carriage. My body has to be coming up in the front of my torso, up out of my hips; the core is tight and it is not dissimilar to walking on my tippy-toes, but it’s easier with shoes.

There is something so wonderful about heels…. At the same time, we do have to recognize our individual predilections and limitations. One of my friends said that it comes down to listening to your body.

I have been puzzling about this all day and I’d love to hear from you about your experiences in heels.

I will dance! And I will be tall! And I will wear heels – but not from 9-5. Most of the women I know don’t understand how some gals can wear high heels all day long. I don’t understand it either, but I can and do wear them through three hours of ballroom dancing and never give it a thought. Some people wouldn’t understand that. And to this day, I don’t understand how anyone can walk in 4-inch heels.

Go figure.

Even Dorothy wore Ruby Slippers – small heels, too – and magical. Maybe because I watched The Wizard of Oz when I was perhaps three years old, they’ve always felt magical to me.

If you don’t wear them because they’re not comfortable or because you judge them as unhealthy, do you still have a secret wish for a magical pair that would feel so good and stand so tall?

The truth is, good for us or not, heels are here to stay.

What fun.