Heels psychology

I wish I was more disciplined in the way I’m writing articles. Once you’ll get 2 in a row and then nothing for 2 months.

Anyway, what matters is that I’m back with a new topic!

I won’t do a life update because it will take too long but I moved to another country of Europe that I really like and the reason of this change is…work! Yes your dear chief editor found herself an amazing job as a lawyer in an engineering firm.

And to feel confident everyday I like wearing heels. I found it pretty fun that a certain pair of shoes can make me feel like this, so I did some research and decided that it could be interesting to write something about heels psychology.

I would like to give my opinion and compare it with the point of view of other women and men, according to what I read during my research.

As mentioned previously, I’m working in an engineering firm with a lot of male colleagues particularly tall. I’m a 5’5 (1.66)… So, in order to feel closer to their height and not like a kid talking to an adult, I wear heels. Not every day but several times in a week. I feel more confident and this is probably related to the physical posture heels force you to get. It’s about finding a certain balance and attitude that will push you to stand straight. You can’t be shy or really discrete, you have to assume your choice.

Second reason: I’m a fashion lover and heels are quite often associated to a feminine / glamorous closet. It can “elevate” every basic outfit, and, because there are plenty of different high shoes, it’s easy to find something adapted to your own style.

Few articles were also mentioning that heels can be a symbol of power. That’s pretty true. Let’s google “business woman” or “girl boss” and photos of women wearing a suit + heels will appear. They are part of the office dressing and this image is reinforced by all the series / movies we watch.

To illustrate that idea of power, the French university of psychology Bretagne-Sud noticed after a survey that heels help to be more persuasive. In 40% of the case, you trust a stranger woman in flats, in 80% a woman with heels. Link to the previous comment, the woman in heels is probably spreading more confident vibes. She looks like she knows what she is doing, so you trust her.

After reading a certain amount of editorials made by women I was curious to see if a man would have a different view. Let me tell you, I couldn’t be more surprised. The difference was huge!

All the articles written by men were mentioning in the first place that women are wearing heels because they want to test their power of seduction. Would it mean that heels have been created for men’s pleasure? Probably. Fashion designers are generally men so they could have think about what would look aesthetic on women before thinking about what would be comfortable. And heels are not the most comfortable shoes, so it’s possible.

But the fact that these male authors were all thinking about attractiveness first, means that heels are considered sexy, hot or whatever. Once again you notice easier a woman in heels because she might be taller than others, but also because it modify the physical appearance by over-arching the back which lift the butt up, giving a long legs effect etc.

Let’s use a different experience to prove this point: a 19 years old girl is alone at the table of a bar on a Saturday night. In 14 minutes a man comes to her if she wears flats; in 11 minutes if she wears medium heels and in 5 minutes if she wears high heels.

As mentioned in one of my precedent article (“Pretty priviledge”), I worked as a hostess in a luxurious restaurant. Heels were mandatory. You could choose the heels you want, but the idea behind was to look good for the client. Apparently men prefer being assisted by a “feminine” woman and you notice it according to the amount of cash they give. Guess what, higher heels = higher tips…

Every woman (and man) has a different reason to wear these shoes, from mandatory to simple wish, there are plenty of possibilities. Personally, heels make me feel confident and powerful, I feel more likely to convince but, of course, it’s just a bonus. The main reason of my confidence is related to my knowledge on a certain subject and to my personality - not easily impressed by people. Regarding the attractive side, let’s not deny, if I’m going on a date (and if the main activity doesn’t involve walking 3 km or climbing a mountain) I would definitely wear heels especially if I’m interested by the guy.

Finally, it’s a bit like make up. It can give you confidence and it can also be perceived as attractive: I bet every girl has received at least once in their life the famous question “Who do you want to attract with this look?” “First myself, for the rest it’s just a bonus”.

JT.