Some
workplaces require women to wear high heel shoes. Many women dislike the
requirement.
“More
than 19,000 people in Japan” have signed “a petition to ban the requirement”
according to a recent CNN
article.[*]
Numerous other news sources also have reported on this petition, which
apparently continues to get signatures online.
Employers
at various organizations in other countries than Japan also require high heels
for female workers. I strongly feel that such requirements need to be
eliminated.
Why I Oppose High Heel Shoes
I
remember watching women struggle to walk in high-heeled shoes. I remember women
talking about how their feet hurt at the end of the day after wearing high
heels for several hours. Why should women punish themselves this way?
What
is the purpose of a shoe? It seems to me that the main purposes of shoes are
protecting one’s feet and making it easier to walk and stand. Low-heeled shoes
seem much better suited for this.
I
think high-heeled shoes seem to be uncomfortable to wear, unsafe to walk in,
and inappropriate to wear while driving a car. Furthermore, over the long term
they can cause several problems for your feet—assuming you don’t fall and
suffer a severe accident in the short term wearing them.
I
am not a medical professional and cannot give any medical advice. But if you
like, you can research online and find numerous articles either written by
medical professionals or that quote medical professionals, which report on the
safety hazards of high-heeled shoes.
Choosing to Wear High Heels
Women
enjoy the right to wear suitable shoes of their choice. But I wonder why so
many choose to frequently wear high heel shoes (also called high-heeled shoes).
A lot of women wear high-heeled shoes to church services (and other
activities). Why does a Christian woman (or anyone) wear high heels?
Can
anyone cite any medical benefit to the average person from wearing high heels?
Is there any reason for the average lady to wear high heels other than fashion?
Is the desire to look fashionable the big appeal? If some fashion show (whether
in Paris or in your hometown) portrays specific styles as being “in” this
season, will women in your neighborhood rush in droves to buy the newly
fashionable shoes? Please seek to resist the temptation.
I
urge women to revolt peacefully against the persons/traditions/forces that lead
them to purchase and wear high-heeled shoes. Instead, buy and wear comfortable
walking shoes.
Closing Thoughts
I
am thankful men typically do not wear high heels. I personally have never worn
them other than trying them on briefly. I hope the day will come soon when no
employer finds high heels necessary for female employees. If your job requires
them, you have my sympathy. I hope your employer reads this chapter and changes
the requirement.
There
are various theories on how high heels originated and why they became popular.
You can find numerous articles online about the subject if it interests you.
For my purposes here, I find it sufficient to state that I do not know of a
logical reason (other than orders from an employer or someone else) for modern
women to insert their feet into them at all. I certainly see no reason for
ladies to wear them for hours daily while walking, working typical jobs,
driving a car, or relaxing.
Indeed,
I know of no good reason for buying or wearing high heel shoes unless an
employer requires it (which seems discriminatory and is hopefully relatively
rare here in the United States). However, I am a man. Perhaps as a member of
the male gender there is something I fail to understand on this topic.
Some
women who wear high-heeled shoes at least sometimes and gave me feedback on
their reason(s) for wearing them seemed to basically offer three reasons for
wearing high heels: (1) to satisfy a job requirement, (2) to appear taller,
and/or (3) to look more attractive. I sympathize with the job issue and hope
employers will change that requirement, as I stated earlier. But I respectfully
feel that the other two reasons do not justify undertaking the health risks of
high heels.
If
you know of a good reason for wearing high-heeled shoes, please write to tell
me about it and why you think it is a good reason. Thanks!
ENDNOTE:
[*] Wakatsuki, Yoko
and Westcott, Ben; “Japanese minister: High heels for women at work are
‘occupationally necessary and appropriate’ ”; CNN; updated June 6, 2019;
website accessed June 8, 2019; https://www.cnn.com/style/article/japan-minister-high-heels-intl/index.html
(Numerous
other online websites also have articles about this issue.)
NOTE:
This piece is being
submitted to Google Blogger on June 9, 2019. It is virtually identical to a
piece the author submitted to his friend Paul Craft’s website, Craft News
Report, on June 8, 2019. The Craft News Report piece was adapted and updated from
a chapter in the author’s book True
Christianity: It May Not Be What You Think (chapter 39 in the second and
third editions, chapter 32 in the first edition). The author has also written
on this issue for other websites in the past.
