High Heeled Henrietta

As we engage in the rite of passage of aging we encounter eureka moments which actually remind us how far we have come or how much we have changed.

As difficult as it may be to believe, there was a time in my life when I could not think straight if I were not wearing stilettos. Most of my critics thought I wore high heels to ensnare or entice the opposite sex but they were so wrong.

There were two reasons why I wore high heels and it had nothing to do with attracting men. One was because it was medically necessary, the other being, I had a complex about my meager weight and petite frame.

From my late teens to early thirties it became necessary for me to wear heels due to a rare medical condition called Pes Planus aka flat feet. Most people have well defined arches, while on my feet my arches are faintly curved. Therefore, when I wore flat shoes I experienced tremendous foot pain, ankle pain, joint pains and back aches. I also developed painful callouses.

I began noticing when I wore heels the discomfort was alleviated and I was able to gad about freely without feeling as if I had walked on hot coal. Also, my adolescent issues I had with my petite build seemed to melt away once I donned heels because I suddenly went from being scrawny and tiny to lanky and svelte….

It was a minor adjustment which caused a major mind shift on how I viewed my body image. Although as I got older, I noticed there were women who coveted my build but it just goes to show we all have insecurities regarding ourselves as we blossom.

After I had been injured, high heels were not an option for me any longer because it threw the balance of my hip and spine out of alignment. The issues surrounding my flat feet were exacerbated since my gait was uneven. Therefore, special inserts were made for my shoes to compensate for the deficiencies I had sustained.

This adjustment also made it possible for me to wear flat shoes comfortably without incurring pain and blisters. However nothing is actually full proof and sometimes too much physical activity causes the blisters and pains to resurface regardless of accoutrements used to make my shoe wearing experiences more pleasant.

At times I feel like a ballerina after having broken in a new pair of ballet slippers because my feet often tell the tale of my grueling travels.

I was such a High Heel officionado that even my bedroom slippers had kitten heels. Those who did not know me automatically thought I was “whorifying” simply because they could not understand why anyone would want to go clippity-cloppity through the house at all hours of the night.

While living my High Heeled Henrietta days I never dreamed people or critics would attach a stigma or label me due to wearing high heels. In my mind it seemed like such a trivial event.

It was not causing anyone any harm but it did not stop the naysayers from being rude and judgmental.

I grew up in a household where I was always encouraged to be myself. I developed my own sense of style and lived comfortably to suit my persona. Although I loved fashion I much preferred styles which were not uncomfortable.

Therefore when I elected to wear heels everywhere I never dreamed it would cause me to experience physical and emotional pain. I became the talk of the town,  and folks acted quite nasty and dismissive.

As a child I played dress up in high heels with my Nona’s shoes and my adoptive mother’s shoes, so I was a practicing Fashonista from the time I was about 5 years old. As adults, we encourage children to play dress up as a rehearsal for when they get older.

Yet, when those little girls become women and enter the world stage they are ridiculed and criticized for their fashion choices. Their attempts at adulting is no longer viewed as cute but as ways and means to be competitive or tactics to lure the opposite sex in their web of captivity.

I sense a bit of hypocrisy regarding the acts we encourage our girl children to partake in as youngsters and dealing with them as full-fledged women.

It has been a long time since I have worn heels consistently. On occasion, I do try to get my groove back because in all honesty there are some feminine looks which require a nice, spiked heel.