Are high heels worth the pain?

9:08am Tuesday 15th July 2008

Durham University student Sophie King was awarded £7,200 compensation after her stiletto heel broke on a night out, causing her ankle to shatter.

Feature writers Julia Breen and Owen Amos look at the pro and cons of wearing high heels.

FOR

THEY can lift your bottom by at least two inches - yet are much cheaper than undergoing surgery for a butt lift.

They're glamorous, sexy, they fit even when you're having a "fat day"

and they take about half a stone off anyone, instantly. What is this miracle product? High heels, of course.

Okay, I admit they're not always glamorous. It's not particularly elegant getting your stiletto stuck in a pavement crack. Or when, while quaffing champagne on the lawn at a wedding, engaging in scintillating conversation, you feel yourself starting to sink into the grass as if it were quicksand.

Victoria Beckham's big toe almost overlaps with the rest of her foot after deforming her feet with bunions, after years of wearing fourinch heels. She is a woman who suffers for her art.

Find me a man who doesn't appreciate a good pair of female legs set off with the most comely accessory - a pair of shiny high heels.

You don't find many transvestites stumping around in flats. The best thing about dressing as a woman is the heels.

The point is, high heels are beautiful.

Most women can spend hours in a shoe shop just gazing in awe at the rows and rows of stilettos, platforms, wedges and kitten heels in every glittering colour. It doesn't matter what size or shape you are, high heels look good on everyone.

They add height, make even the stumpiest of legs look longer and more elegant, and make every woman walk taller and swing her hips like a catwalk model.

They're about sex appeal. They're also about women wanting to feel more glamorous, taller, and slimmer.

But, whisper it gently, they hurt like hell after a night on the dancefloor.

AGAINST

But at least a boob job is permanent deception. High heels are just a fleeting illusion. What happens if all goes to plan and women snare an unsuspecting victim? Will they totter on tiptoes at home? Women, I reckon, expect men to think: "Flipping heck, she's shorter than I thought. Still - now I've been dazzled by her personality, what a good job I'm here."

Instead, they think: "Flipping heck.

She's shorter than I thought."

Being short, comparatively, is not a problem. Honestly, we expect women to be shorter, just as we expect them to be girlier, and prettier. High heels, perhaps, would be fine if they didn't shred flesh and crush toes. But they do. Leave them off.

Mind you, if Sophie King had kept them off, she'd be seven grand poorer.

So, perhaps, give them one last wear. And be sure to walk over wonky pavement.

jENNIE IS SPEAKER AT FUNDRAISER

FORMER BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond will be speaking at this year's North-East Ladies Luncheon (NELL).

The first NELL luncheon was held in 1982, and annually ever since, and raises money for charities in the region.

It also provides a function where women from all walks of life can meet.

To date over £100,000 has been raised for charity by this one luncheon each year.

Some of the charities which have been helped include the Darlington Leukaemia Fund, Durham Young Deaf Youth Club, Care for Bereaved Parents - North Tees, Teesside Samaritans and Normanby hospice for babies. NELL does not support charities with high administrative overheads.

This year, Jennie Bond - who also famously appeared on ITV's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, will speak at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield on September 10. The ticket includes a glass of bubbly on arrival and a four-course meal with glass of wine.

NELL guests can either book tables of ten ladies or attend in small numbers and request seats together.

The three charities chosen for 2008 are Useful Vision, The Children's Centre Support Group and The George Hardwick Foundation.

Tickets can be purchased before August 20 and are £40. If you would like to buy a ticket, or donate a gift for the prize draw or tombola, call Angela Morgan on 01642-787768 or email angelabuns@msn.com.